Islamabad: The Acting British High Commissioner and Director for Development met with Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal in Islamabad to discuss ongoing UK-supported projects in Pakistan’s health sector.
During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in health and population development.
Highlighting the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases in Pakistan, Minister Kamal called for sustained international support.
He also raised concern over the country’s rapidly growing population, equating its annual increase to the population of New Zealand, and termed it a pressing national issue.
The minister pointed out that 68% of diseases in Pakistan stem from contaminated water, underlining the absence of an effective sewage treatment infrastructure.
He further suggested reforming the NFC Award distribution by allocating 50% of its share based on population, and rewarding the remaining 32% to provinces that successfully curb population growth.
He noted that the Prime Minister has established a National Task Force to address the population surge.
The Acting High Commissioner briefed Minister Kamal on the UK government’s ongoing assistance in Pakistan’s health programs.
In response, Minister Kamal expressed gratitude for Britain’s support and emphasized the need to shift the healthcare system’s focus from treatment to prevention and protection, in order to ease the burden on tertiary hospitals by strengthening the primary healthcare system.
The Acting British High Commissioner acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to tackle population challenges and reaffirmed the UK’s continued support in both health and population sectors.
