ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it had launched its first council for partnership with the public and private sectors in the country, saying the move aims to strengthen national health systems and improve public health.
The WHO Council for Partnership with the Public and Private Sectors was launched in Karachi with the government of Pakistan and 20 prominent business leaders of the country. The WHO was represented by its Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, who will serve as the chair of the council.
Healthcare is often expensive for millions of Pakistanis, who have no choice but to often rely on sub-standard facilities offered by public hospitals and charitable institutions when faced with health emergencies.
Speaking at the event, Balkhy said the council aims to consolidate Pakistan’s strengths in financing, technology, logistics, infrastructure, networks and expertise; and build a long-term partnership for a healthier future for the masses.
“The Council brings business and philanthropic leaders together to build a healthier and more prosperous future for Pakistan and for the Region,” Balkhy said.
Aziz Memon, a prominent businessman ad chair of the council’s business sector, welcomed the opportunity to have business leaders and the WHO converge on a single platform.
“This Council is a way for that generosity to move forward together, with structure, with safeguards, and with the reach of the World Health Organization behind it, so that what each of us does alone becomes unstoppable when we do it together,” Memon said.
Pakistan’s Federal Secretary for Health Muhammad Aslam Ghauri, who is also co-chair of the council, stressed that the government backs the initiative to advance national health priorities.
“Our national vision is clear: universal health coverage for every Pakistani, charted through our National Health Strategy 2026-2035,” Ghauri said.
“This Council could not arrive at a better moment as we begin a 10-year national journey that calls for all sectors of society to play their part, because no government anywhere achieves these goals alone.”
