Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar has said that Pakistan recognises the importance of health security as a bridge to peace and sustainability. Addressing the Commonwealth Health Minister's meeting at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, she said, "The Government of Pakistan recognises the right of every individual to access healthcare and there is the highest level of Political Commitment in Pakistan to attain Universal Health Coverage."
She said, "Since taking office in 2013, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accorded the highest priority to ensuring access of quality health-care to all with special focus on the poorest of the poor." "Leveraging the nationally representative database of poor families in the country, the Federal Government has launched the Prime Minister's National Health Program, with an aim to prevent a 100 million population from catastrophic health expenditures across the country in a phased manner," she said.
"Thousands of patients across the country have benefited from free quality treatment provided under this program from both public and private sector health facilities for a range of ailments that require hospitalization," she said. "With a strong political commitment for Universal Health Coverage reforms, the Government of Pakistan continues to strive to ensure effective health financing for its population in a reformed health sector," added the Minister.
"The health sector can play a vital role in strengthening global security, including preparedness and response to public health threats and disasters," she said. The minister informed that, "All political parties in Pakistan have recently ratified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the National Development Agenda and have endorsed the target for Universal Health Coverage."