Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Friday said the government was eager to take advantage of modern technologies for enhanced access to preventive and curative healthcare for the people, particularly the most vulnerable ones. Addressing the HealthTech Summit held by the Aga Khan University (AKU), Kakar said the government needed support from the experts and professionals using modern technologies in the health sector as the provision of universal health coverage was the constitutional responsibility of the government.
The commitment of the Prime Minister to modernize the country’s healthcare system is appreciable as it comes in the backdrop of a growing perception that the government has taken its hands off from two of its basic responsibilities – provision of medical and educational facilities to masses, especially those segments of the population that cannot afford treatment or studies in the private sector institutions.
This is because experts emphasize that by embracing digital technology in healthcare, we can create sustainable systems, equalize doctor-patient relationships and find more effective solutions for diseases, ultimately leading to healthier individuals and communities. As the healthcare industry faces new challenges, technology solutions are helping leaders to improve performance, increase collaboration across systems and manage costs. As demands on organizations increase, healthcare technology can streamline processes, automate tasks and improve workflows at a scale that’s not possible for humans alone. Pakistan is facing financial constraints, therefore, not able to allocate required resources to meet growing healthcare needs of the surging population but proper investment in introduction of relevant technologies can make a big difference. It is rightly pointed out that roles such as nurses or doctors cannot be replaced but what we can do is to mechanize or automate as much of the non-human aspects of healthcare. Diagnostic AI is already being adopted throughout the world and we can also immensely benefit by making time moves for the purpose. Telemedicine is another high potential area for the country, given that access to care in rural areas is considerably low.
Pakistan has a very large cell phone network which can be utilized to provide access to care to people where they are. We hope concrete measures will be taken for the introduction of modern technologies in the health institutions. All health managers in the public sector should prepare a roadmap for the purpose and federal/provincial governments concerned should provide necessary support to them in its implementation.
