Islamabad: A high-level meeting chaired by Dr. Mukhtar Bharath, the Minister of State for Health, convened to assess and enhance healthcare services in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The session included the Director General Health, the District Health Officer (DHO), and other senior officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, focusing on ongoing and future healthcare initiatives.

The meeting addressed current health projects and set strict directives for accelerating future actions. Special emphasis was placed on the 14 medical camps planned in underprivileged union councils of ICT, stressing their effective implementation.

Dr. Bharath expressed his vision of making Islamabad a model city for healthcare. He highlighted the importance of strengthening the Primary Healthcare System to alleviate the burden on tertiary hospitals. An integrated strategy to expand Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was also discussed, alongside the need for a real-time health data system to enhance decision-making and policy execution.

Among the key decisions were the implementation of digital reporting across all ICT health facilities and the approval of a Technical Working Group. This group is set to convene on May 23 to develop a strategy for system integration, including a “One Patient, One ID” framework.

Plans were made to create a digital dashboard to monitor health service availability, which will be linked to the DHO ICT website. A roadmap was outlined to empower the District Health Officer through new appointment models based on 89-day performance evaluations.

The meeting also saw the approval of a one-month training course for vaccinators in collaboration with the Health Services Academy. Dr. Bharath instructed the DHO to assess the operational status of CDA dispensaries to ensure service quality, underscoring the significance of community engagement and a robust media campaign for public health awareness.

Acknowledging recent successes in outsourcing sanitation and security services, Dr. Bharath encouraged further enhancement of diagnostic services through public-private partnerships. He directed health authorities to intensify dengue prevention measures, eliminate hotspots, and increase routine immunization coverage to 95%, with joint efforts by the CDA and DHO Office being mandated.