ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal directed the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Wednesday to devise a strategy for provision of clean drinking water and a proper sanitation system and the enhancement of vaccine production.

During visit to NIH, the minister went round vaccination production facility and high-tech laboratories including public health labs, polio regional reference laboratory and water and food testing lab. He also visited National Health Data Centre.

Later, a detailed briefing was given to the minister by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NIH Dr Mohammad Salman.

Addressing the NIH scientists, Mustafa Kamal said that NIH had huge potential and there was a need to optimally utilise the capacity to protect the health and wellbeing of people of Pakistan.

Unless we address issue of water contamination, we cannot achieve vision of healthy Pakistan, says Mustafa Kamal

“All possible efforts should be made to ensure enhancement of indigenous vaccine production so that we achieve national self-reliance in this critical field,” he said.

The minister directed that NIH must make water and sanitation an integral part of its disease prevention and control strategy. He said that most of the diseases inflicting the people of Pakistan were waterborne.

“Unless and until we address the problem of water contamination, we cannot achieve the vision of a healthy Pakistan. We must create awareness and engage all stakeholders to achieve this end,” Mr Kamal said.

Meanwhile, a meeting chaired by Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Bharath was held to review and strengthen healthcare services in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The session was attended by the director general of health, the district health officer (DHO), and other senior officials from the Ministry of National Health Services.

During the meeting, ongoing health projects were reviewed, and clear directives were issued to accelerate future actions. Special attention was given to the 14 medical camps planned in underprivileged union councils of ICT, with an emphasis on ensuring their successful implementation.

Dr Bharath reiterated his vision to transform Islamabad into a model city as far as healthcare is concerned, emphasising the need to strengthen the primary healthcare system.

“A robust primary care system will reduce the patient load on tertiary hospitals,” he stated.

He further noted that an integrated strategy has been developed to expand Universal Health Coverage (UHC). He directed the development of an effective real-time health data system to support timely decision-making and policy implementation.

It was decided to introduce digital reporting across all health facilities in ICT, develop a digital dashboard to track the availability of health services, linked with the DHO ICT website. It was also decided to start a one-month training course for vaccinators, in collaboration with the Health Services Academy.

The Minister directed the DHO to evaluate the operational status of the CDA dispensaries to ensure service quality.

He also emphasised the importance of community engagement and called for a robust media campaign to raise public awareness on health initiatives.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025