Lahore: Pakistan needs an electronic health record system on the pattern of Covid-19 management carried out through the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which helped track patients, integrate diagnostic and healthcare facilities, allocate resources, and vaccinate nearly the entire population, health experts said on Friday.
They emphasized that a similar system of electronic health records (EHR) is critical to record the growing disease burden, manage epidemics, and ease the suffering of millions of patients across the country.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the country’s first Electronic Health Records Conference being held at Indus Hospital & Health Network’s (IHHN) Jubilee Campus in Lahore, they urged the government to take the lead in creating a comprehensive national system of electronic records, warning that without data Pakistan’s healthcare system will continue to operate blindly.
Prof. Abdul Bari, Chief Executive of IHHN, said even patients in Pakistan do not have access to their own diagnostic and treatment records, which are scattered on paper slips that are often lost.
“Every time a patient walks into a hospital, the practice starts from zero. Hospitals, health departments and the government have no reliable data, so nobody really knows what is happening on Pakistan’s disease landscape. Without data, neither policies can be framed nor healthcare facilities can be planned,” he observed.
He recalled that during Covid-19, the NCOC managed to track cases, allocate resources and vaccinate millions using CNIC-linked data. “That experience showed us what real-time data can do. Pakistan reduced Covid mortality drastically because authorities had information at their fingertips. The same model can store all medical records, but the government has to take the lead,” Prof. Bari added, warning that without a national system, advanced facilities such as cancer treatment remain confined to big cities, leaving rural patients neglected.
Chief guest Tania Aidrus stressed that patients should own their medical data instead of hospitals.
“Provinces keep separate datasets and don’t share them even with the centre. We need national data standards, a central governance body for electronic records, and above all a trusted privacy system so people can rely on how their medical data is handled,” she noted, adding that training healthcare workers in technology is as important as building infrastructure.
Conference Chair Prof. Dr. Arshad Taqi said Pakistan must eventually develop healthcare systems comparable to the developed world. “EHR is no longer optional. It is the foundation of evidence-based practice, policymaking and patient care. The sooner Pakistan embraces it, the sooner patients will see the benefits,” he remarked.
Renowned Pediatric oncologist and one of the early architects of IHHN, Dr. Shamvil Ashraf, recalled that their journey began with a single room but with a vision to be paperless.
“We started a paperless health facility at a time when it was new even to the world. Today, we provide free quality care without compromising on technology. We want to continue setting examples for healthcare excellence in Pakistan.”
Dr. Zafar Zaidi said that technology is already transforming healthcare globally, and Pakistan must seize the opportunity. “We have the potential to leapfrog into a data-driven healthcare future. Technology can help us track non-communicable diseases, infectious outbreaks and epidemics and design targeted responses that save lives.”
Organized by IHHN, the Electronic Health Records Conference has drawn experts from across Pakistan to share solutions for digitizing patient records, building partnerships among hospitals, and launching pilot projects. Experts said the deliberations will focus on breaking silos between provinces, encouraging data sharing, and establishing trust through national privacy standards.
Prof. Bari concluded that IHHN is willing to collaborate with the government in building a nationwide framework. “Paper records require warehouses and hours of searching, while electronic data is accessible in seconds. Patients should own their records, and a national EHR system will finally tell us the true burden of disease in Pakistan. Only then can we plan for a healthier future.”
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