Special Assistant to PM on National Health Services Dr. Faisal Sultan told The News, the PTI government is planning to establish a Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will be similar to the Atlanta-based national public health institute in the United States.
Addressing the fact that a national health services provider already exists in Pakistan i-e, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Dr. Sultan said, “In its present form, NIH is not fulfilling the function of a center for disease control and prevention despite having a national laboratory.”
Dr. Faisal elaborated that the NIH has a different function and is headed in the right direction “under current leadership but unfortunately it is not serving the purpose for which it was established”.
The proposed center would be a different organization in its function. It would gather information on diseases, analyse, and recommend actions, and issue guidelines on all aspects of health.
The Spacial Assistant said it would cut down the need to create setups such as the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) and the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). He furthered by saying that this emergency response should come to an end now and there should be a permanent institution like the CDC Atlanta to deal with such emergencies and plan for future threats.
