Daily Times

For the last several years, Punjab has faced some unexpected diseases.

Last week, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid introduced Punjab Health Sector Strategy for the next 10 years in the presence of global experts on public health and international development agencies. Visibly, and not unsurprisingly, there was little media talk. Serious health reforms don’t sell big in the media. It largely missed the gloss, though left a kaleidoscope of strong impressions for health connoisseurs.

Sustainable reforms have eluded the Pakistanis for quite some time. Sceptics may stick to the staves, but optimists may choose to stay so, with valid reason now. There has to be a beginning somewhere. We have to move on and are already too late. This strategy precisely makes this much-awaited beginning.

Thus, came the Punjab Health Sector Strategy, the roadmap outlining our path for the next decade. It operates within the larger scheme of “Structural Functionalism;” governing the healthcare system in Punjab. It provides a list of deliverables, actions and areas in no ambiguous terms for the next 10 years.

The development was appreciated by international partners. Professionals know that strategies may not change things overnight, but they clearly define the path; identify the dimension of the government and explain the enthusiasm of the minister and her team.

Sustainable reforms have eluded the Pakistanis for quite some time. Sceptics may stick to the staves, but optimists may choose to stay so, with valid reason now

Comprehensive planning has emerged as the core of modern project management. The Japanese model of development and its extraordinary emphasis on the planning phase is often cited for better outcomes.

These were the ten areas identified with detailed interventions:

Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Health, nutrition and family planning;

Preventive Health Services to Communicable and non-communicable diseases;

Patient safety and quality of care;

Medicines and Biomedical Equipment;

Health Management Information System;

Health Governance and Accountability;

Human Resource for Health;

Healthcare Financing in Public-Private Partnership;

Health Disaster Management and Emergency Management, and

One Health Including Environmental Health

The strategy lays down a phase-wise roadmap for the next 10 years and addresses the major areas in the health sector.

The strategy envisages increased equitable access to, and of quality maternal and newborn child health, health, family planning and nutrition across all public and private sector facilities.

This strategy is embedded in the Sehat Insaf Card, which goes parallel with all interventions. The minister knows that the issue here is a system that rewards privileges to the rich; giving more opportunities, wealth and powers to those who did not earn them or have otherwise acquired them while excluding others of access to resources.

Major components in Pakistanis context for the next decade are the patient safety and quality of care, which are extremely crucial in our context. The profiteering in the health sector has often been criticised and there have been voices wanting stricter controls in this area. Besides regulatory bodies like Punjab Healthcare Commission, the emphasis has been laid on training on professional responsibilities and interconnection with the governance and accountability.

Similarly, another key edition is the concept of one’s health, which sees infections in the larger zoological spheres. For the last several years, Punjab has faced some unexpected diseases like Crimean Congo Haemorrhage Fever, Swine Flu, Dengue Chikungunya.

There is a need for a complete system that is supported by laboratories and diagnostics.

Credit is due to the Policy and Strategic Planning Unit for preparing a comprehensive strategy and incorporating the assessments for the next 10 years. The minister declared in the event that only by proper planning and then implementing, could we achieve the target of quality healthcare services in Punjab.

Such was the ownership and the significance of the strategy that the Federal Minister for National Health Services and Regulations Dr Zafar Mirza travelled to Lahore and minced no words in appreciating Punjab. In a way, he appreciated Punjab for putting together a comprehensive strategy and the areas for interventions. He spoke in detail about the roadmap, the objectives of free healthcare services for all and the support of the federal institutions and organisations in the implementation of Punjab strategy.

Family planning and population welfare have been integrated into the larger healthcare framework. The plan synergises services with mother and neonatal services. Dr Rashid has been known to be passionate about the mother and child healthcare. This one area resonates the most in her initiatives in the health department. Hence, the Minister for Population Welfare Hashim Dogar also came and elaborated upon the importance of the family planning department and its relevance in the first objective, related to Nutrition and Family Planning.

Dr Samin Siddiqui, an international consultant for WHO and a colossi figure in public health, has been a part of the strategy designing process. He has vast experience in dealing with health issues in Pakistan. He also travelled to Lahore and elaborated on the salient features of the strategy. This also explains that a wide range of experts was consulted in the process of strategy-designing.

PSPU Program Director Shagfuta Zarin was convinced that since now the strategy is there, all we need is a focus on implementation. Visible changes, she believed, could now be brought about in the department.

The writer is a program development expert in the Punjab Health Department