The federal government has decided not to dissolve the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination but to take a restructuring approach.
According to informed sources, certain departments within the ministry will undergo mergers, reducing its overall size.
The ministry intends to enhance coordination with international bodies and provincial governments to improve healthcare services. Additionally, employees from merged departments may be reassigned to other areas within the government.
Specifically, the National Emergency Health Services will be consolidated with the National Health Institute and Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore to be transferred to the Punjab government’s control. Furthermore, deliberations are ongoing about transferring the management of an under-construction hospital in Rawalpindi to the Punjab government. However, no final decisions have been made concerning medical centres in Islamabad.
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The plan also includes outsourcing some services in Islamabad’s hospitals and integrating the Malaria Directorate into the Common Management Unit. The government’s right-sizing committee, reviewing five ministries, including the Ministry of National Health Services, has not yet completed its report.
This decision follows earlier discussions where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contemplated abolishing five federal ministries, acting on recommendations prompted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s advocacy for minimizing federal ministries to streamline government functions.
