National Health Policysoon: Sherry
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—The country to have comprehensive National Health Policy after consultation with all stake holders while the government will increase health expenditure from the present 0.6 percent to 4 percent of GDP to provide health facilities at the doorsteps of the people.
Sherry Rehman, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Health, said this while chairing the first Health Policy Task Force meeting at the Ministry of Health, Islamabad. The Minister invited and welcomed suggestions and inputs from the stake holders and general public in this regard.
Speaking to the members of the Task Force, the Federal Minister of Health said that setting up of the Task Force was her government's first priority."It is a response to the most shocking reality faced by our government, i.e. the absence of comprehensive health policy to guide the country's health sector.
It is most disturbing that the Ministry of Health is running a number of vertical programmes, but there is no basic framework to guide and set a direction for the broad areas of the nation's health management issues."
Elaborating the objectives of the Task Force, the Federal Minister said:"This task force has been delegated to employ its expertise to formulate a comprehensive and well planned health policy. It would follow an integrated approach that delivers through the provinces and districts while supporting and enhancing their activities. The aim of the policy is to strengthen the existing systems and creating linkages between preventive and curative referrals.
We are determined to initiate a meaningful process of providing quality health care to all, and this Task Force will devise ways to ensure we deliver on people's health."