Karachi: Questioning why Sindh’s progress in the health sector continues to go largely unrecognised, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on Monday said that despite the province moving ahead of others in key health indicators, its initiatives and financial commitments were neither adequately acknowledged nor properly highlighted at the national level.
She made these remarks while inaugurating a state-of-the-art Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory (EIDRL) at Dow University of Health Sciences, calling the facility a historic step towards strengthening Sindh’s capacity to detect, research and respond to infectious disease threats. The modern laboratory has been established at a cost of around Rs1 billion, which officials described as one of the largest provincial investments in advanced public health research infrastructure.
Dr Pechuho said the Sindh government had provided Rs800 million for the establishment of the laboratory and had also committed to bear its recurring operational cost, estimated at around Rs300 million annually. She said sustained public financing for such high-end facilities reflected the province’s long-term commitment to building institutional capacity for disease surveillance, research and epidemic preparedness.
“This is not just a building or a laboratory. It is an investment in the safety of our people and in Pakistan’s public health future,” the minister said, adding that Sindh had taken the lead in developing modern research and diagnostic infrastructure to deal with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. She said the new laboratory would strengthen the province’s preparedness for future outbreaks and public health emergencies by enabling faster detection and more effective response.
The inauguration ceremony at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre, located at the Dow University campus in Nipa, was attended by Health Secretary Tahir Sangi, Secretary Universities and Boards Abbas Baloch, Dow University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazli Hossain, Pro Vice Chancellors Prof Jehan Ara Hasan and Prof Sajida Qureshi, Registrar Dr Ashar Afaq, Dr Waheed Rajput, Prof Saba Sohail, Prof Uzma Bukhari and other senior faculty members and health officials.
Briefing the minister, officials said the establishment of the EIDRL would significantly improve the province’s ability to rapidly detect and investigate fast-spreading diseases, enabling timely public health action. They said the facility would play a key role in strengthening diagnosis and research for dengue, Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever, HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases that continue to pose a major burden in Sindh.
The Dow University vice chancellor said the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital was providing treatment not only to patients from Sindh but also to those coming from other provinces, adding that all services at the facility were being provided free of cost by the Sindh government. She said the new laboratory would further enhance the hospital’s role as a major referral and research centre for infectious diseases.
Officials said that local availability of advanced testing facilities would reduce reliance on overseas or out-of-province laboratories, cutting costs and turnaround time for critical diagnostics. The laboratory will also provide advanced biosafety training to medical and laboratory staff, improving safety standards while handling high-risk pathogens.
The briefing noted that Sindh regularly faces outbreaks and threats from dengue, chikungunya, influenza, HIV, Congo virus, drug-resistant typhoid and tuberculosis, and that the new laboratory would provide doctors and scientists with a safe environment to diagnose, study and respond to these diseases. Timely and accurate diagnosis, they said, would allow patients to receive prompt treatment and help curb the spread of infections in hospitals and communities.
Health officials said the province previously lacked a dedicated biosafety level reference laboratory capable of working on high-risk pathogens and limited genomic sequencing during outbreaks. The new facility would partially fill this gap by supporting high-risk pathogen diagnostics, outbreak-related genomic sequencing and research relevant to vaccine development, within available capacity. They added that the project was designed not only to address current challenges but also to serve as a long-term investment in Sindh’s public health preparedness, shifting the health system from a largely reactive approach to one focused on early detection and preparedness.
Speakers at the ceremony, including Dow University Assistant Professor of Virology Dr Bilal Ahmed Khan, Professor of Nuclear Medicine Dr Nosheen Fatima, Professor of Oncology Dr Maryam Nauman and Dr Muneeba Sheikh, said the laboratory would also strengthen local research capacity and support evidence-based responses to future epidemics and health emergencies.
Dr Pechuho unveiled the plaque and formally inaugurated the Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, while Prof Dr Nazli Hossain presented the provincial health minister with a commemorative shield at the end of the ceremony.
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