ISLAMABAD: Stakeholders in the health sector on Thursday gathered here to discuss practical reforms to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) as the foundation for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Pakistan.
The event, “Rethinking Primary Health Care for Universal Health Coverage Implementation” was organised by the ministry of health in collaboration with Integrity (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Partner for the Evidence for Health (E4H) Programme and the National Health Support Programme (NHSP) with support from the British High Commission. Development partners, academia and civil society also attended the event.
Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal said advancing PHC was a national priority to ensure access to quality essential health services without financial hardship. He acknowledged the support of the British High Commission Islamabad, the FCDO’s Evidence for Health Programme, World Bank’s National Health Support Programme and Integrity for convening the learning platform and sharing critical research on rethinking PHC.
Sam Waldock, development director at the British High Commission Islamabad (FCDO), said strong PHC improved access, quality and public confidence in health services. He welcomed the focus on implementing the Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS).
Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath highlighted the importance of integrating maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition, communicable and non-communicable disease services, and health security within a unified PHC platform to address fragmentation and improve financial protection for citizens.
Anthony Ellis, CEO of Integrity, highlighted the importance of connecting evidence with leadership and implementation. He noted that the event aimed to move beyond analysis toward actionable, context-responsive reforms that strengthen sustainability, accountability, and learning across programmes and provinces.
Dr Jahanzaib Sohail, senior health economist at the World Bank, also acknowledged Integrity’s efforts in bringing stakeholders together to share implementation experiences under E4H, NHSP and related federal and provincial reforms.
Participants agreed on the need to shift from fragmented, vertical programme delivery toward integrated, digitally enabled, quality-assured PHC systems that are equitable, resilient and responsive to Pakistan’s evolving demographic and epidemiological realities.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026
