The National Assembly today passed two important bills related to improving health status of residents of Islamabad and capacity building of health professionals. Congratulating her team on the occasion Federal Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar said private health sector was unregulated and there were no standard of quality assurance in Islamabad. There was therefore dire need to provide regulatory framework to ensure provision of quality healthcare services and implementing quality standards by the healthcare sector to residents of the Islamabad Capital Territory; the Minister said. She said that the law will promote patient safety and provide mechanism of banning quackery in its all forms and manifestations by the health sector. Therefore it is very essential to establish Islamabad Health Regulatory Authority for Islamabad to regulate both public and private sector; the Minister added. The Minister elaborating the bill to grant university status to the country’s premier seat of learning in Public Health; the Health Services Academy (HSA) said this is a landmark as it will help to provide the much needed trained healthcare professionals. Pakistan has a great dearth of Public Health professionals, well equipped to address the public health needs of Pakistan. HSA would be the only Public Health Degree Awarding Institution with strong linkage with Ministry of National Health Services; she said. HSA offers degree programs in the field of PHD in Public Health, MSPH and other Masters programs. Certificate / short courses are also offered for in-service training/capacity development of health professionals in the field of Public Health. After Degree Awarding status in-service certification programs will be accredited for pursuing a post graduate degree program at HSA. AS a Capacity Building, Policy and Research Institute, HSA is mandated to facilitate federal, provincial and other high level stakeholders in evidence informed policy. *-*-*-*
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