Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (M/o NHSR&C) in collaboration with WHO Pakistan commemorated the UHD Day 2022 with the aim to raise awareness on the need for strong, equitable and resilient health systems and universal health coverage (UHC).

Minister of State, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani and WHO representative, Dr Palitha Mahipala were the chief guests for the ceremony. The event was attended by representatives from Federal and Provincial Health Departments, UN agencies, Health Development Partners and other stakeholders.

In statement Mr Abdul Qadir Patel, Federal Health Minister said “The Government of Pakistan is fully committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring Health and well-being of its people. Achieving Universal Health Coverage is a foundational driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Maintaining progress towards UHC is challenging and is first and foremost a political choice. Effective Primary Health Care (PHC)-oriented systems are the bedrock of equitable and resilient health systems that deliver high-quality, health care to everyone. Investing for UHC and PHC is the sure way to guarantee socio-economic wellbeing of our communities.

Abdul Qadir Patel, Federal Health Minister further added that strong political commitment from National and Provincial/Federating area governments and partner organizations is an essential ingredient for overcoming barriers. He appreciated the provincial/federating area Health departments, district health offices and Health Development Partners for their extensive support and contribution towards UHC. He also appreciated WHO to organize this ceremony for UHC day commemoration.

On the occasion, WHO Representative, Dr. Palitha Mahipala thanked the health minister for overwhelming support by M/o NHSR&C to celebrate this day at national level to renew commitment towards UHC advancement in the country. He highlighted that this years UHC Day theme, Build the world we want: A healthy future for all, emphasizes that to build strong health systems we need equity, trust, healthy environments, investments and accountability.

He stressed that investment in health systems is the need of the hour and urged all stakeholders to join hands and make commitment to prioritize investments for building resilient health systems that can withstand at the time of crisis such as pandemic and natural disasters to ensure “Healthy Future for All.

WHO & MoNHSR&C jointly launched three reports on UHC Day (Pakistan UHC Monitoring Report 2022, Pakistan PHC profile, Status of Health Financing in Pakistan). Launch of these reports is an important step to monitor the current UHC, PHC and health financing situation at national level.