July 24, 2010: The United States has pledged support to alleviate poverty and improve development outcomes in Pakistan. The comment explores the extent to which such expectations are justified and the prerequisites for leveraging the potential within development assistance.

July 10, 2010: The comment frames population as the denominator of development. It focuses on the potential within the forthcoming Population Policy 2010 to impact outcomes in view of institutional changes introduced by the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the Finance Commission Award.

July 3, 2010: The comment explores the potential within the macroeconomic strategies pursued through the Finance Bill 2010/11 – just passed by the parliament – to accrue benefits to the common man. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints

POVERTY AND PRAGMATISM
Sania Nishtar

June 29, 2010: The Study Group on Health Governance is part of the larger initiative on Global Governance by the school. Sania Nishtar, President Heartfile attended the meeting as a special invited guest on June 28-29, 2010.

June 19, 2010: The government is launching a new health insurance scheme for the poor under the rubric of the federal government’s safety net program. The comment argues that if the priority is to financially risk protect the poor for health in the most cost effective manner, then the government must rethink its current approach. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints

June 07, 2010: Sania Nishtar gives the keynote address at the ‘Regional Conference on Achieving better health equity and efficiency in Middle East and North Africa,’ organized by the MENA Health Policy Forum in Amman, Jordan.

The Regional Conference on Achieving better health equity and efficiency in Middle East and North Africa

June 7, 2010: The comment underscores a critical point—health reform has been forced on the Pakistani health system because of changes made outside of it. It outlines how existing opportunities can be capitalized and how the forthcoming budget can be used as an entry point to make fundamental changes as a starting point. Full text is accessible at View other Viewpoints

Read the first part of the Op-ed on the Politics of health reform – Part I…Read More

May 14, 2010: Sania Nishtar gives a talk on ‘Achieving universal health coverage: experiences of Pakistan’ at the Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. This is part of the Rockefeller Foundation global initiative on attaining universal coverage.

May 14, 2010: Sania Nishtar has authored a chapter on ‘Pakistan: potential to achieve universal coverage for health’ in a book edited by Eduardo Missoni of the Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. The book is titled ‘Attaining Universal Health Coverage – a research initiative to support evidence-based advocacy and policy-making’ and has been published by EGEA, Italy (2010). This is part of a Rockefeller Foundation-funded programme to increase universal coverage for health.

May 13, 2010: Sania Nishtar makes a presentation to the WHO Executive Board committee on the report of the Expert Working Group on R&D and Financing in Geneva, Switzerland.

Expert Working Group on R&D and Financing

May 08, 2010: A viewpoint titled ‘The penchant for provinces’ by Sania Nishtar has been published in The News International. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints

Context: The renaming of a province in Pakistan has lent impetus to calls for creation of other provinces by various ethnic groups. Smaller sub-national units can improve governance and service delivery including health. This article explores whether this is a viable option for Pakistan in the current situation when there are so many competing priorities in hand.