Pakistan, UK Discuss Health Sector Collaboration

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jul, 2025) A delegation from the British High Commission on Thursday met with Federal Minister for Health, Syed Mustafa Kamal to explore avenues for aligning the United Kingdom’s support portfolio with Pakistan’s national health priorities.

During the meeting with the delegation led by Acting British High Commissioner and Development Director Ms. Jo Moir, the Minister highlighted Pakistan’s challenges, including a high burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to reforming the health sector and welcomed continued collaboration in critical areas such as maternal and child health, immunization, and health systems strengthening.

He stressed the importance of shifting focus to preventive and promotive healthcare by strengthening Primary health care systems to reduce the strain on tertiary care facilities.

The Minister emphasized the urgent need to address waterborne diseases, which account for 68% of illnesses in the country, by ensuring the provision of safe drinking water and improved sewage systems.

He raised concerns about the high fertility rate, calling it a national issue requiring immediate attention.

He encouraged efforts to balance population growth through collaboration with stakeholders, including religious scholars and development partners.

Key reforms discussed included revisiting the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, suggesting that the current 80% weightage assigned to population be reduced to 50%, with 30% allocated as an incentive to provinces that successfully reverse population growth trends.

The Minister also advocated for a focused Behavior Change Communication (BCC) campaign to educate men across the country about population control measures.

Ms. Jo Moir appreciated the Federal Minister’s efforts and shared details of the UK Government’s ongoing support for Pakistan in the health and population sectors:

She also highlighted plans to design a media campaign based on research findings, focusing on health and population awareness.

The Minister thanked the Acting British High Commissioner and her team, ensuring that the progress made in these sectors would be sustained.

He requested detailed presentations on the Global Fund Accelerator Program and population initiatives to further advance the agenda.

Ms. Jo Moir expressed her gratitude to the Minister for his valuable time and feedback, reiterating the UK Government’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s health and population priorities.