I take privilege in launching Annual report 2023, with the theme advancing primary healthcare through innovation. Throughout the year. The COVID 19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to our staff. Despite these hardships, we have been strengthening Primary Healthcare. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) implies that all people have access to quality health services they need, without financial hardship. UHC received a fresh momentum with the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the eighth target of the third goal of which nations, “Achieve UHC. Including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. Our national and provincial health system is experiencing a double burden of diseases (DBoD), low service coverage, and a lack of effective financial risk protection mechanism. Including DBoD Balochistan is experiencing a double burden of malnutrition (DBM) characterized by the coexistence of macro and micro nutrients deficiency. Stunting and wasting on children aged below five years, anemia among women of productive age, low birth weight, and poor infant and young child feeding practices have become common occurrences.
IPHQ- has a pluralistic healthcare system, Which is highly regulated and consists mainly of five key actors: government, private, non-profit private sector, national and the international development organizations.
IPHQ has made significant progress in establishing & implementation of MERC project. In this project 25 Emergency Response Centers on main highways of Balochistan were established. Managed and running efficiently. It would help to decline in Road accident mortality in time rescue, first aid and referrals to higher health facilities. IPHQ has created one of the best approaches in increasing community ownership towards health system, Enhancing delivery of primary healthcare (PHC) and resources mobilization. Yet many challenges persist and threaten the sustainability of initiatives, including inadequate financial resources. There is a strong need to strengthen district management and increase supervision. We aim to enhance the understanding of the challenges limiting the effective role of IPHQ in achieving UHC in Balochistan.
Mujeeb ur Rehman Kakar
Secretary Health