Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Mr. Syed Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the completion of *Phase-I of the upgradation of the Cardiac Centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS)* during a visit to the country's premier public-sector tertiary care hospital. On the occasion, he also inaugurated the *Patient Facilitation Assistant Service* in the PIMS Emergency Department to improve patient guidance and service delivery.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the Federal Health Minister said that PIMS serves as the largest referral hospital for patients not only from Islamabad but also from Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, a large part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other remote areas of the country.
He stated that PIMS receives approximately 7,000 to 9,000 patients every day, and when attendants and family members are included, between 30,000 and 40,000 people benefit from the hospital daily. "This is equivalent to the size of a major public gathering every single day, reflecting both the immense trust people place in PIMS and the extraordinary burden on the institution," he remarked.
The Minister observed that the overwhelming patient load on Pakistan's public teaching and tertiary care hospitals is largely due to the ineffective functioning of the country's primary healthcare system. He noted that common ailments such as colds, flu, fever, minor pain, and routine antenatal check-ups should ideally be managed at Basic Health Units (BHUs) and dispensaries. However, the lack of adequately functioning primary healthcare facilities forces patients to seek treatment at major hospitals like PIMS, placing unnecessary pressure on specialized healthcare services.
Syed Mustafa Kamal informed the audience that the government is revitalizing 28 Basic Health Units in Islamabad to strengthen primary healthcare, reduce the burden on tertiary hospitals, and ensure that quality healthcare services are available closer to people's homes.
Highlighting the newly upgraded Cardiac Centre, the Minister said that a Rs. 7.2 billion state-of-the-art facility has been completed and made operational with an additional Rs. 900 million investment. He noted that the centre houses a first-of-its-kind advanced cardiac machine in Pakistan, through which patients suffering from heart diseases will receive treatment free of cost.
The Minister emphasized that, given Pakistan's rapidly growing population, merely constructing more hospitals is not a sustainable solution. He stressed that an effective healthcare system can only be achieved through disease prevention, a robust primary healthcare network, greater public awareness about healthy lifestyles, appropriate birth spacing, and family planning. "Our goal is to keep people healthy before they become patients," he said.
Syed Mustafa Kamal further observed that while many preventable diseases have been significantly controlled across the world, thousands of Pakistanis continue to lose their lives to the same avoidable illnesses. He underscored that disease prevention, rather than treatment alone, must become the country's foremost health priority.
The Federal Health Minister stressed that preventing disease is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Health alone but requires a coordinated national effort. He pointed out that nearly *68 percent of diseases in Pakistan are linked to contaminated water*, making the provision of safe drinking water, proper sanitation, sewerage systems, and waste management the responsibility of local governments.
He emphasized that without empowering local governments with adequate authority, financial resources, and effective administrative systems, quality governance and essential healthcare services cannot reach communities at the grassroots level.
Concluding his address, Syed Mustafa Kamal said that the true objective of decentralization is to ensure that public issues are resolved promptly at the Union Council level. He reaffirmed that a strong, efficient, and empowered local government system is indispensable for achieving lasting improvements in public health and ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare across Pakistan.
The Federal Health Minister also said that he does not oppose the 18th Constitutional Amendment, but has concerns over its incomplete implementation. He explained that while resources have been transferred from the federal government to the provinces, an effective mechanism for further transferring funds from the provinces to districts and local governments has not been established. He noted that approximately Rs. 8.848 trillion was transferred to the four provinces during the last fiscal year, yet a strong local government structure to ensure the effective utilization of these resources at the grassroots level remains absent.
He said that once resources are transferred directly to neighborhoods and local governments, essential public services such as safe drinking water, sanitation, sewerage and other basic civic facilities will improve significantly, leading to a substantial reduction in the burden of disease. He reiterated that the real solution to Pakistan's health challenges lies not only in building hospitals but in preventing disease through a strong and effective local government system.
Federal Minister further observed that the absence of an effective local government system has also created challenges in building public awareness and trust regarding polio and other immunization programmes. He explained that locally elected councilors are residents of the communities they represent and are directly accountable to the people, making them more trusted voices. This, he said, enables health programmes to be implemented more effectively at the community level and helps strengthen public confidence in vaccination initiatives.
Syed Mustafa Kamal also remarked that the current administrative system relies on only a few hundred bureaucrats to manage the entire governance structure, whereas a robust local government system would significantly expand the reach of governance and public service delivery by engaging millions of people at the grassroots level. He emphasized that sustainable solutions to public issues depend on the effective devolution of authority, resources and responsibilities to the lowest tiers of government.
Reaffirming the government's commitment, the Federal Health Minister stated that the Ministry of National Health Services is utilizing all available resources to strengthen Pakistan's health system by making it more resilient, people-centered and focused on preventive healthcare, ensuring that every citizen has timely, equitable and quality access to healthcare services without discrimination.
