Balochistan’s Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar has unveiled sweeping reforms aimed at transforming the province’s healthcare system, with a focus on digitization, decentralization, and equitable service delivery.
Flanked by Health Department Secretary Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Panizai and government spokesman Shahid Rind, the minister emphasized the department’s commitment to progress, stating that resistance or external pressure would no longer derail the new structural reforms.
The announced reforms include devolving administrative, financial, and recruitment powers to district levels, coupled with the creation of divisional-level committees. Integrated technology solutions are central to this plan, which, according to the minister, could potentially resolve half of the sector’s long-standing issues.
Read more: Balochistan advances healthcare with digital reforms and functional health units
Five health-related laws have already been passed to bolster these changes, complemented by monthly performance reviews targeting underperforming districts. A centralized command and control center has also been established to streamline the monitoring of provincial healthcare facilities. This, the minister noted, tackles chronic challenges like erratic medicine supplies and uneven distribution of healthcare professionals.
Staff promotions, previously stalled since 2012, are being addressed as well. A critical bottleneck was the reluctance of doctors to work outside the provincial capital, Quetta, leaving rural areas severely underserved.
Now, doctors who graduate from medical colleges across the province will be required to serve their home districts. To incentivize their stay, the government is building residential quarters and flats in remote areas, aiming to improve living conditions for medical staff and encourage local engagement.
These measures highlight a significant commitment to solving decades-long healthcare challenges and building a better, more inclusive system for the people of Balochistan.
