‘Pakistan not poor, but poorly-managed country’

LAHORE
The launch of ‘Strengthening Policy and Strategic Planning Unit (PSPU) for Coordinated Public-Private Health Initiatives in Punjab’ was held on Tuesday.
According to a press release, the project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development under the Small Grants and Ambassador’s Fund programme and will be implemented by the Nur Center for Research and Policy (NCRP) in partnership with Policy and Strategic Planning Unit (PSPU) Punjab and civil society organisations. In addition to providing technical assistance to the PSPU in priority areas, th NCRP will also establish a health consortium with the development partners and CSOs supporting the PSPU in meaningful engagement, policy analysis and strategic planning in public health.
Dr. Zahida Sarwar, Additional Director PSPU, informed the audience of various programmes the PSPU is undertaking with the government, World Bank and DFID. She also elaborated on the expected outcomes of the knowledge management unit at PSPU and the assessment of health facilities in Punjab.
“Even though this is a small grant if through this project we are able to leverage the PSPU’s capacity, this will become a success story with exponential outcomes”, said Dr. Hasan Raza, Senior Health Adviser USAID, in his concluding remarks.
Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, Chairperson NIU and Adviser to CM, said ‘There is a need to look at a more coordinated health system that will also ensure the success of multi-sectoral programms and collect a data on institutional arrangements that are able to accomplish this.’
In her closing remarks, Maha Rehman, Senior Technical Adviser, Strategy, Monitoring and Evaluation NCRP, said “Pakistan is not a poor country but a poorly managed country hence we need to ensure that sustainability and scalability must be integrated within this project to bring about a systemic change.” She emphasised the significance of the initiative and need of a holistic approach towards combating public health challenges in Pakistan and thanked the audience for being part of the launching ceremony.
Later, Dr. Pervaiz Imtiaz, Additional Programme Director IRMCH, Dr. Zahida Sarwar, Additional Director Technical at Policy and Strategic Planning Unit, Dr. Hasan Raza and Dr. Sajjad Moghal, Senior Adviser, USAID and Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, Chairperson NUR International University unveiled the plaque.
Besides, Dr. Anwar Janjua from TRF Plus, Dr Tasleem Akhtar from NCRP, Khyber Medical University, Khizer Gillani from Small Grants Office, Brig.
Abdul Basit from NCHD, Usman Ghani from DG HS Office, Laila Nusrat from Bali Memorial Trust, other key government officials and experts from the private and non-profit sector across Pakistan attended the ceremony.