ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Health on Wednesday established a national task force to integrate lifestyle medicine into the health structure.

According to a notification available with Dawn, the director general health has been nominated as convener of The National Task Force on Lifestyle Medicine (NTLM), and Vice Chancellor Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University Dr Tanvir Khaliq will be the co-convener. Members of the task force include Dr Malik M Safi and Dr Shagufta Feroz, who is the founding president of the Pakistan Association of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr Zafar Mirza, Dr Mohammad Zia Abbas, Dr Yawar Hayat, Dr Sadia Fazal, Mazhar Nisar and others.

The NTLM has been established to provide strategic, technical and programmatic guidance for the integration of lifestyle medicine into national health policies, programmes and service delivery systems.

The task force shall guide the systematic integration of lifestyle medicine into national health and NCD policies, medical education of health professionals, public sector programmes and projects, and public awareness campaigns.

It will also recommend dedicated budget lines and financing mechanisms for lifestyle medicine interventions within federal and provincial health budgets. It will advise on the design, piloting and scale-up of lifestyle medicine programmes within the healthcare system of Pakistan. It will support the development of national standards, guidelines and competencies for lifestyle medicine practice.

Moreover, the task force will help develop strategies to address environmental and behavioural risks to health. It will promote collaboration between government institutions, academic bodies and professional organisations, including the Pakistan Association of Lifestyle Medicine (Palm). It will strengthen capacity building, education and research related to lifestyle medicine.

Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, who is also a member of the task force, while talking to Dawn, said as non-communicable diseases account for over 50pc of the disease burden and were largely linked to lifestyle, it was imperative to establish a task force to address the issue.

“Our lifestyle is unhealthy and we need to change it. In other words, the task force has nothing to do with medicines, but it will suggest how doctors, experts, influencers and others should advise the masses to change lifestyles so that diseases are reduced, if not eradicated,” he said. Replying to a question, Dr Mirza said changes in lifestyle depend on nutrition, exercise, proper sleep, stress management, avoiding addictions and social interaction such as spending time with family and friends. “We want to integrate all that into new treatments and lifestyle approaches,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026