Federal Minister for Health, Mr. Mustafa Kamal, addressing a Pharmacovigilance Workshop, underscored the urgent need to shift Pakistan’s health system from a treatment-based model to one centered on prevention, awareness, and lifestyle improvement.
“The healthcare system in Pakistan is far from ideal,” stated the Minister. “Globally, the focus of healthcare has changed — it is no longer about treating illness but about preventing people from getting sick in the first place.”
Highlighting global trends, Mr. Kamal noted that countries around the world have adopted lifestyle medicine, a system that promotes wellness without overreliance on medicines. “The world has committed itself to systems that protect people from becoming patients. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s medical infrastructure remains in a state of decline,” he remarked.
He emphasized that true healthcare begins outside hospital walls, starting with environmental and preventive measures. “Due to the lack of a functional healthcare system, our hospitals are overburdened with patients. Seventy percent of diseases in Pakistan are caused by contaminated water. If clean drinking water were available, hospital loads would drop by at least 70 percent,” the Minister said.
Mr. Kamal pointed out the critical need for a comprehensive sewage treatment system, stating, “From Gilgit-Baltistan to Karachi, our water sources are spreading diseases. Local-level sewage treatment systems are essential if we are to improve public health.”
Urging a national shift toward prevention, the Health Minister reiterated, “Prevention is better than cure. Our health strategy must focus on precaution and protection. We need to improve our lifestyle — lifestyle medicine aligns closely with nature’s own system.”
Discussing future trends in healthcare, he said, “Within the next ten years, the world will have overcome cancer. Yet, we risk remaining entangled in debates over whether vaccines are permissible or not.”
Mr. Kamal expressed deep concern over Pakistan’s high burden of hepatitis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, noting that the country ranks among the highest globally for these conditions.
He announced that the Ministry of Health is establishing a modern Healthcare Management System at the National Institute of Health (NIH) to strengthen service delivery and monitoring mechanisms.
Concluding his address, the Minister said, “To truly reform our healthcare system, we need doctors and professionals who are driven by integrity, compassion, and a sense of responsibility. Only then can we build a healthier Pakistan.”
