President Dr. Arif Alvi has emphasized the need for developing a centralized national database on all diseases. He said that Pakistan currently lacked a comprehensive centralized database on health issues and he highlighted the need to make integrated data available which would help the government to effectively combat the diseases. He made these remarks while chairing a meeting regarding data collection on Breast Cancer in Pakistan. SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC), Dr. Faisal Sultan, and MD Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Mr. Aon Abbas Buppi also attended the meeting.
President Dr. Arif Alvi said that Pakistan had the highest prevalence of breast cancer, as compared to other South Asian countries, and he underscored the need to raise awareness among the people about the disease.