Islamabad: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has placed its Joint Secretary (Administration), Syed Salahuddin Ahmad, in charge of a newly created Nursing Innovation and Reforms Unit, months after his proposed nomination as an ex-officio member of the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council was repeatedly returned by the Prime Minister Office, officials familiar with the matter said.
A notification issued by the ministry on September 29 said the unit had been established in its administrative wing under Section 14 of the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Act, 2026, and would work under the overall supervision of the joint secretary (admin).
The Act, enacted in June this year, requires the establishment of a Nursing Innovation and Reforms Unit in the federal health ministry as well as a separate reforms unit in the council. It assigns the units responsibilities for policy innovation, research, reforms, international cooperation, training and workforce development in nursing and midwifery.
Health ministry officials said that before the new arrangement, Syed Salahuddin Ahmad had been proposed for nomination as the health secretary’s ex-officio representative on the council under the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Ordinance, 2025.
A copy of the December 10, 2025 summary seen by Vitalsnews named Syed Salahudin Ahmad, then joint secretary, as the nominee of the health secretary for an ex-officio council seat. The summary sought the prime minister’s approval, describing the prime minister as the appointing authority under the ordinance.
Officials familiar with the process said the proposal was returned by the Prime Minister Office on more than three occasions. They said the ministry subsequently submitted explanations, additional nominations and material relating to eligibility criteria for other proposed council members.
The documents show that the ministry had been asked to provide minutes of its nomination committee, a conflict-of-interest policy and details of pending nominations from provinces and Islamabad. However, they do not state the final reasons for the reported return of the proposal, and no formal public explanation was available in the records reviewed by this correspondent.
The ministry’s latest notification gives Salahudin Ahmad direct administrative oversight of the new reforms unit, which is expected to coordinate major nursing-sector initiatives, including projects supported through international technical assistance.
According to the notification, the unit will formulate, coordinate and implement nursing and midwifery reform initiatives; facilitate centres of excellence; promote research and evidence-based policy-making; and develop national and international institutional linkages.
It will also work on workforce planning, productive employment and international mobility of nurses and midwives, while coordinating and monitoring national and international grants, projects and technical assistance related to the sector.
The notification said the unit would monitor implementation of approved nursing-sector reforms through implementation plans, timelines, milestones and performance indicators.
An eight-member initial structure has been approved for the unit. Besides the joint secretary (admin) as head, it includes the deputy secretary (Admin-II) for coordination and a section officer from Admin-IV as secretariat and focal officer.
Four positions, including reforms manager, monitoring and evaluation or planning and scheduling officer, procurement officer and information technology officer or specialist, are to be arranged with Asian Development Bank technical assistance.
A Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council focal person or nursing technical expert will also be included from the council’s existing resources.
The notification makes clear that no regular posts are being created at this stage. Government officers and focal persons will perform the assigned functions from the existing strength of the health ministry and the council.
The new structure comes at an important stage for nursing regulation, education and workforce planning, following replacement of the 2025 ordinance by the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council Act, 2026. The law envisages stronger regulation of nursing and midwifery education, professional standards, workforce development and pathways for ethical overseas employment.
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