NA Body Underscores Urgent Need For Reforms In Healthcare Sector

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination on Thursday underscored the urgent need for reforms in Pakistan’s healthcare sector and addressed a range of pressing issues impacting the nation’s healthcare system

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Dec, 2024) The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination on Thursday underscored the urgent need for reforms in Pakistan’s healthcare sector and addressed a range of pressing issues impacting the nation’s healthcare system.

The meeting was convened under the Chairmanship of MNA Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani and the committee’s discussions revolved around critical concerns affecting the performance of Pakistan Nursing Council, the urgent need to strengthen mental health services, issues related to the working of Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad and briefing on the preparations of the MDCAT retest 2024, said a press release.

The committee discussed the “Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, moved by Syed Rafiullah, MNA. In an impassioned exchange, the committee strongly emphasized the unresolved crisis within the Pakistan Nursing Council, urging immediate action to break the deadlock that had paralyzed the working of nursing institutes across the country, exacerbating the already severe shortage of qualified nurses.

The committee members were united in their call for the Prime Minister’s intervention to address this administrative impasse and provide a clear roadmap for resolving these long-standing issues.

The said Bill was deffered by the committee till the provision of requisite information from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.

Furthermore, the members discussed the “Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024” and the “Islamabad Healthcare Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, moved by MNA Shaista Pervaiz. They pointed out that the regulation of ‘psychologists’, a growing profession that remained largely unregulated despite the increasing demand for mental health services across Pakistan.

The Committee recommended to regulate the profession of psychology to ensure that mental health professionals were properly certified and practicing in line with legal and international standards.

Both the Bills were deffered till the next committee meeting.

Amidst these challenges, the committee also took time to acknowledge the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for its efforts in addressing the discrepancies in the MDCAT 2024 examination. Following the committee’s previous recommendations and the Sindh High Court's order to conduct a retest of the MDCAT exam.

The committee was apprised that the MDCAT retest was set to take place in December 2024, with all necessary safeguards in place to prevent the issue of paper leakage and other discrepencies encountered earlier. The PMDC had incorporated the Committee's proposals for transparency, including strict monitoring of exam venues and ensuring that the question were formulated after carefully conducting the pre-op analysis.

It was informed that PMDC had already started working on improving the standard of the MDCAT exams in future based on recommendations of the committee.

In a parallel vein, the committee raised serious concerns about the state of healthcare facilities at the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad. Despite being one of the capital's most prominent public healthcare facilities, the hospital faced numerous operational deficiencies including outdated medical equipment, a chronic shortage of medicines and an unsatisfactory patient care.

The committee demanded an immediate intervention to upgrade the Polyclinic’s infrastructure and improve the availability of basic healthcare services, ensuring that every citizen regardless of their social status received adequate care.

The meeting was attended by MNAs, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Dr. Shaista Khan, Dr. Darshan, Sabheen Ghoury, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Aliya Kamran, Farah Naz Akbar, Ch. Muhammad Shahbaz Babar, Nisar Ahmed, Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz, Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Shaista Pervaiz and Syed Rafiullah in person.

The meeting also included participation of senior officers from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and its attached departments.