Islamabad: The Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) convened its 16th meeting under the chairmanship of Dr. MaheshKumar Malani at the Parliament House to discuss key health sector developments,budget allocations, policy reforms, and concerns over hospital datatransparency.
Tensions arose when Committee Member Shehram Khan pressed for hospital records of individuals injured on November 26, particularly from PIMS and Polyclinic hospital. He, along with all committee members including Dr. Darshan, Ms. Sabeen Ghouri and Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, demanded immediate access to the data and warned of a possible walkout if the information would not provided in the next session.
Committee Member MNA Zahra Wadood Fatemi, however, criticized the prolonged debate, arguing that it was wasting committee time.The committee reviewed the Ministry of Health’s ongoing development plans and examined the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. Officials reported that Rs. 24.75 billion had been allocated for the current financial year, with Rs. 13.829 billion already disbursed.
The committee emphasized the need for complete and transparentutilization of funds, stressing that no new projects should be initiated until existing ones are completed. A key topic of discussion was the “One Patient, One ID” initiative, aimed at digitalizing healthcare records for improved efficiency and accessibility. The Ministry confirmed that equipment had been installed at major hospitals, including PIMS, NIRM, TB Hospital, and FGHS alias Polyclinic, with full implementation expected by mid-2025. A detailed progress report on the initiative will be presented in the next session.The meeting also addressed the growing concern over non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which remain a leading cause of death in Pakistan.
The Pakistan National HeartAssociation (PANAH) proposed a taxation policy on unhealthy food products, particularly those high in trans fats, with the generated revenue allocated to public health initiatives. The committee expressed strong support for this proposal and urged collaboration with relevant authorities, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), to implement necessary regulations.The session was attended by several MNAs, including Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Ms Farukh Khan, Dr. Darshan, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Ms Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Shahram Khan, Dr. Amjad Ali Khan, Nisar Ahmed, Sabheen Ghoury, Aliya Kamran, Farah Naz Akbar and Dr. Azim ud Din Zahid Lakhvi (online) along with the senior officials from the Ministry of Health.
The next meeting is expected to follow up on key issues, particularly budget execution, policy reforms, and the pending hospital data request.
