Lahore: Being South Asian itself is a major risk factor for several non communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic disorders, while Pakistan’s extraordinary ethnic, climatic and geographical diversity demands locally generated health research and indigenous solutions instead of relying entirely on foreign data, leading health experts and policymakers said on Sunday.
Speaking at the 7th International Health Research Conference organized by the Health Research Advisory Board (HealthRAB) at the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Lahore, experts maintained that disease patterns, risk factors and healthcare challenges in Pakistan often differed from many other parts of the world, making locally relevant, evidence based and practical research essential for effective policymaking and disease control.
The conference, held under the theme “One Nation, One Record, One Registry Network: Strengthening Health Systems through Evidence-Based Research”, brought together senior physicians, researchers, regulators, policymakers, vice chancellors and public health experts from across Pakistan to deliberate on strengthening disease registries, promoting local research, improving data sharing and developing indigenous healthcare technologies.
Experts also stressed the need for integrated national disease registries and timely sharing of health data, saying delayed or fragmented reporting weakens disease surveillance, research and response systems.
Speaking as the chief guest, Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri said the federal government was taking the issue of national disease registries and health research very seriously and revealed that the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) would soon be used as a Universal Medical Record number to improve continuity of care, disease surveillance and evidence based policymaking.
He said health was not merely a social sector issue but a matter of national health security and economic security, adding that the federal government had approved the country’s first National Vaccine Policy to promote local vaccine manufacturing and was also encouraging local production of medicines and research in healthcare.
Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique said governments needed continuous guidance from healthcare leaders and researchers for better policymaking and service delivery. He vowed to seek recommendations from the HealthRAB conference for implementation in Punjab and said he intended to regularly engage researchers and healthcare experts.
“We have improved healthcare by learning from researchers and senior experts like Prof Javed Akram,” he said.
Presenting the annual report of HealthRAB, the organization’s General Secretary Prof Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed said the board was working on establishing national disease registries and promoting research culture through fellowships, grants, training programs and diplomas in health research.
HealthRAB Chairman and renowned diabetologist Prof Dr Abdul Basit said a strong culture of research was gradually emerging in Pakistan and noted that heads and vice chancellors of over 50 higher education institutions were participating in the conference with a commitment to strengthen research in healthcare.
He emphasized that Pakistan needed locally manufactured and affordable medical devices and said this goal could only be achieved through meaningful research, innovation and reverse engineering. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Prof Dr Syed Shahid Noor also stressed the need for indigenous development and manufacturing of medical devices to reduce dependence on imports and make healthcare more affordable.
Chief Executive Officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Dr Obaidullah Malik called for evidence based decision making and data driven solutions in healthcare.
He recalled that during periods when Pakistan faced difficulties in procuring vaccine supplies and pharmaceutical raw materials internationally, the country had to seriously consider local vaccine production and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) development.
“It is a difficult and lengthy journey, but it is achievable,” he observed.
Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister’s Sehat Sahulat Program Muhammad Arshad Qaimkhani said the health insurance initiative possessed a “goldmine of data” from hospitals and treatment centers across the country and urged researchers to focus on applied, pragmatic and affordable research capable of improving healthcare delivery rather than merely theoretical work.
Renowned physician and former caretaker federal health minister Prof Dr Javed Akram called for greater focus on “One Health”, warning that indiscriminate use of antibiotics in veterinary and poultry sectors was accelerating antimicrobial resistance, which he termed one of the gravest global health threats. He stressed the need for local research and practical implementation in both communicable and non communicable diseases.
Vice Chancellor of the Health Services Academy Prof Dr Shahzad Ali Khan said meaningful and practical research naturally generated reliable scientific data, whereas weak or poorly designed studies often resulted in misleading conclusions.
“Policy and decision making should rely on evidence based scientific and organizational data instead of reactive approaches driven by media attention around disease outbreaks,” he remarked.
During the conference, leading Pakistani physicians, researchers and senior health journalist Amer Malik were honoured with national awards and gold medals for contributions to healthcare, research and journalism. Award recipients included Prof Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, Prof Dr Javed Akram, Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary and veteran neurosurgeon Prof Dr Syed Athar Enam.
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