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News Archive

Heartfile Health Financing goes live

May 02, 2010: The project has been launched in a pilot setting on March 29, 2010. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has been chosen as the first pilot site. Assistance will be made available to deserving patients in Cardiology and Orthopedic wards through our Health Equity...

Choked Pipes on a popular TV show

April 27, 2010: ‘Choked Pipes’ featured in Kamran Khan Show, a popular primetime programme aired on Geo TV. The programme is reputed for the cutting-edge investigative journalism and unearthing stoires of corruption in the country. The five-minute documentary, which can be accessed here, uses Choked Pipes as a peg to highlight pervasive corruption in the health...

Viewpoint 76: Parliamentary empirics

April 24, 2010: A viewpoint titled ‘Parliamentary empirics’ by Sania Nishtar has been published in The News International. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints Context: There is an expectation that the Parliament will perform better after introduction of the 18th Amendment. This comment reflects on the important role of parliamentary performance on state functioning and therefore the health...

Invited editorial on Choked Pipes

April 20, 2010: The author of ‘Choked Pipes — Reforming Pakistan’s Mixed Health System’ was invited to write an editorial on the book in the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association in its April issue. The editorial is accessible at Choked...

Book Review of ‘Choked Pipes’ by Dr. M Javaid Khan

April 11, 2010: Review of ‘Choked Pipes’ by Dr. M Javaid Khan, published in The News International.  The author drew an analogy with an anecdote relating to a British field commander’s strategy in the 1800s to drive home a point emphasized in the book ‘stagnation leads to ruin’—therefore the rationale for reform. Full text is

The WHO Consultation on the Review of International Experience in NCD Prevention and Control

April 10, 2010: Sania Nishtar attends the WHO Consultation on the Review of International Experience in NCD Prevention and Control as an expert and speaker in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 8-10, 2010

Heartfile and NADRA sign data sharing contract (April 2010)

April 10, 2010: The National Database Registration Authority has agreed to provide data verification services to Heartfile for ascertaing poverty status of patients applying for financing through Heartfile Health Financing. NADRA has developed a poverty verification system, which uses unique features of the national identity card to ascertain the status of poverty, based on a set of predetermined criteria, which are being nationally used in social protection...

Viewpoint 75: Sanitizing the Constitution;

April 09, 2010: A viewpoint titled ‘Sanitizing the Constitution’ by Sania Nishtar has been published in The News International. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints The comment has been written in the context of the recent 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, which can create the right framework for better functioning of the state and hence better health...

Viewpoint 74: On national security policy

April 03, 2010: A viewpoint titled ‘On national security policy’ by Sania Nishtar has been published in The News International. Full text is accessible at Viewpoints Context: National security is a holistic concept that also includes health security—something which the public health system has limited capacity to cope with. This comment analyzes how lack of policy continuity, amongst other factors, has eroded Pakistan’s efforts towards achieving sustainable state...

Book Review of ‘Choked Pipes’ by Shahina Maqbool

March 26, 2010: Review of ‘Choked Pipes’ by leading health journalist Shahina Maqbool was published in The News International, in its March 26, 2010 issue. The author used the international relevance of the publication as a peg for the review and drew attention in particular to a WHO seminar, which was held on March 3, 2010 to raise awareness about the book even before it was formally launched in Pakistan. The comprehensive piece can be

Islamabad launch of ‘Choked Pipes’

March 25, 2010: ‘Choked Pipes’ was unveiled by Oxford University Press at an exceptionally well-attended seminar held at Marriott, Islamabad. Panelists included Sartaj Aziz, former minister for foreign affairs, Ishrat Hussian, director of the Institute of Business Administration, Dr. Khalif Bile Mohamud, WHO Representative in Pakistan, Ejaz Raheem, former minister for health, Amena Sayyid, executive director of OUP, and the author Sania Nishtar. Press clippings and videos of the event are accessible here.

Islamabad launch of ‘Choked...

Viewpoint 73: National Health Policy 2010

March 22, 2010: A viewpoint titled ‘National Health Policy 2010’ by Sania Nishtar has been published in The News International on March 22, 2010. Full text is accessible here. Context: Work on a new health policy has been ongoing for the last two years. This viewpoint outlines some key imperatives to be considered while formulating this policy, which will soon be presented to the...