The meeting was inaugurated by Director-General Dr Sabeen Afzal, Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and Dr Mohammad Assai Ardakani, WHO Representative, Pakistan. Dr Ardakani highlighted the fact that although emergency medical care is being provided by different hospitals and health facilities, it is fragmented, and that there was a need to establish a national system that was available country-wide. He emphasized the importance of linked pre-hospital care, well-equipped ambulances, properly trained health workers and fully operational trauma and emergency medical centres. Dr Sabeen Afzal, Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, said that there is a dire need to streamline the policies and protocols related to the emergency care system. While service delivery is of course the mandate of provinces, a nationwide emergency medical care system needs to be established.
This meeting was part of a broader WHO regional initiative to strengthen emergency care systems in countries of the Region. The intiative has already been implemented in Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Libya and Tunisia. It is hoped that the outcome of this meeting will pave the way for more structured action to strengthen the emergency care system in Pakistan, at both national and regional level.
