LAHORE: The World Health Organization (WHO)’s head in Pakistan, Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, has said the country faces a human resource for health crisis, as the available resources in this vital sector can meet only one-tenth of country’s requirement.
While addressing the senior faculty of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) during visit of the varsity, on Monday, Dr Mahipala said that Pakistan immediately needed 200,000 nurses. “No healthcare system can deliver quality care without the input of trained, committed professionals including doctors and nurses,” he opined.
According to him, the UHS focus on primary healthcare through strengthening family medicine was particularly a commendable step and the UHS administration must prepare a five-year plan for the development of its programmes. At present, all the focus was on universal health coverage and the target of this programme in Pakistan was 60pc by 2030, Dr Palitha Mahipala said, adding: “The primary care was the most comprehensive healthcare but it should not be limited to providing a few medicines to the patients.”
UHS VC Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore said on the occasion that 110 postgraduate and 26 undergraduate programmes were being run by the UHS, however, the country was facing a shortage of nurses and allied health professionals. He further said that the university’s performance in research had been remarkable which was evident from its H-index of 30.5. He added that a research coordination center had been established to bring all research activities under one roof. WHO Punjab Head Dr Jamshed Ahmed, UHS Registrar Dr Asad Zaheer, and senior faculty members were also present.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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