Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal has announced a series of ambitious healthcare reforms aimed at delivering quality medicines and treatment facilities directly to people’s doorsteps using modern technology.
During a visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday, the minister addressed the media, emphasizing that negligence in the health sector will not be tolerated, as errors in this field can have life-threatening consequences.
He said work on ongoing projects at PIMS is progressing rapidly, and the government is committed to meeting healthcare challenges head-on. “We’ve always accepted responsibility as a challenge and will continue delivering essential medicines and treatment to every citizen,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of innovation, Kamal pledged to modernize basic health centers and ensure they operate effectively. He also stressed the urgency of transitioning towards telemedicine and revealed plans to introduce a “one patient, one ID” system, streamlining patient records and enhancing service delivery.
“Due to inadequate primary care, people often crowd major hospitals. We aim to improve both public hospital services and the primary healthcare system,” he said.
Kamal reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the availability of top-tier doctors and quality medicines across all public hospitals. He announced the completion of seven new operation theaters at PIMS, built at a cost of Rs 2.1 billion, and assured that these facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology.
He also clarified that there are no current plans to hand over the health sector under a public-private partnership model. However, he confirmed that the ministry will soon begin work on further expanding the health card initiative, ensuring wider access to essential health services.
