January 10, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 9, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday called for greater public-private partnership to develop a roadmap for provision of better health services in the country.

“Policies can no longer be designed in isolation in an era where even diseases have become globalized,” the prime minister observed while speaking at the launch of “The Gateway Paper: Health Systems in Pakistan — A Way Forward.”

The publication was released by recently established Pakistan’s Health Policy Forum — a think-tank set up to assist in development, implementation and evaluation of health policies.

The gateway paper proposes directions to strengthen health system in the country by bringing internal changes.

Talking about the availability of resources, the prime minister said the government was endeavouring to increase the health budget to four per cent of the GDP, adding that Rs31 billion was currently being spent on health at district, provincial and federal levels.

With reference to October 8 earthquake, he said the health sector was lacking in many disciplines, the foremost being psychiatric care.

The prime minister emphasized the need for a safe environment to make present and future generations physically more healthy, mentally alert, emotionally stable, socially competent and able to absorb knowledge.

“Time has come to seriously consider whether our policies and strategies in the health sector are delivering desired results,” he said, adding that policies should be result oriented and their implementation measurable.

“Constant change is the key to success and health is no exception.” Countries which have stepped back and redesigned their policies have always succeeded, Mr Aziz said.

“We need to redesign our health policies as tinkering with them is no solution.”

The prime minister assured the audience that the government was committed to fulfilling its obligations regarding the health sector.

Mr Aziz said he had asked his cabinet to show results as direction-less activities led to wastage of national wealth.

He said the present government was following the paradigms of good governance and transparency. The government is endeavouring to reinvigorate preventive health care system by regulating blood transfusion, promoting careful use of syringes, providing clean drinking water, and controlling malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Avian Flu and blindness in the country.

At the same time, he said, the government was also pooling resources to compliment public sector expenditures rather than releasing funds on isolated activities or overlapping projects.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan welcomed the publication as a tool for further strengthening of the health systems and said civil society played a critical role in achieving social sector outcomes at grass-roots level.

Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) possess strengths that are complementing the public sector’s functions in the area of health services delivery, he said.

“We appreciate the help of NGOs, but if someone says it was critical at the time of the earthquake, it is absolutely wrong,” the minister said while referring to the partnership with civil society in the wake of Oct 8 earthquake.

WHO Representative Dr Khalif Bile said 45 potential epidemics in the earthquake affected areas were prevented because of timely and effective response.

“Pragmatic strategies were right on time,” he said and assured complete support to the government of Pakistan.