Saira calls for greater emphasis on equity in access to healthcare

ISLAMABAD, May 24: Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar has said called for greater emphasis on equity and access to healthcare and people-centered set of universal and transformative goals and targets for the future.
She was addressing the 196 Nation World Health Assembly – Calls for equity and social protection as Priority for global health.
The Sustainable Development Goals, she said with strong focus on equity will serve to ensure that “no one is left behind’.
Health is positioned as a major contributor to the other Sustainable Development Goals, and reciprocally benefits from progress towards the other Sustainable Development Goals, she said.
The challenges we face are related to building health systems capable of providing integrated, people-centered care, she said. Addressing new health priorities without compromising existing programs requires careful balance. The non-communicable diseases are becoming a global challenge in developed and developing countries alike. They will sooner or later overwhelm the existing health system capacities unless rapid investments are made in disease prevention and health promotion. Noting the need to strengthen linkages between health, development and humanitarian work, a growing concern in many countries will be how to better integrate humanitarian and development assistance.
The Minister informed that Pakistan is taking strides in prioritizing universal health coverage through launching Prime Minister’s National Health Program for population living below poverty line. The program is being implement across the country in phases and is providing free of cost treatment to hundreds of thousands of families through both public and private health facilities.-PR