GILGIT: Secretary Health, Gilgit-Baltistan, Mir Waqar Ahmed, inaugurated a new data centre in Gilgit, under the Hayat initiative. Funded jointly by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and Grand Challenges Canada, the Hayat initiative has been implemented by Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan, in collaboration with the Aga Khan University, since 2019 in the Ghizer District of Gilgit-Baltistan and select areas of Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at the ceremony, Waqar Ahmed said: "The Hayat Project was the first of its kind in Gilgit-Baltistan. The project has been rolled out in Ghizer District and has greatly aided the collection of health-related data and its analysis."

The data centre was designed by the Aga Khan University, in collaboration with Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan, for the Department of Health, Gilgit-Baltistan. Complete with a server, a server room, desktop computers, network switches and other hardware, the data centre has been set up to facilitate the Department of Health, Gilgit-Baltistan in continuing operations of the Hayat Project independently, beyond the funding period.

"This data centre is the next step in making the Hayat initiative sustainable and to facilitate our government partners in playing a key role to digitize critical health related data for more efficient analysis," said Nadeem Abbas, CEO of Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021