Strengthening Pakistan's Frontline Health Systems through Policy–Academia Integration

The event brought together senior leadership from government, district health systems, academia, and development partners. The Honourable Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath was the Chief Guest. The event was hosted by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Vice Chancellor, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Dr. Syed Usman Hamdani, Director GIHD, and Dr. Ehsan Ghani, CEO District Health Authority Rawalpindi.

Addressing the gathering, the Honourable Minister congratulated the academic leadership on aligning education, service delivery, and research with national health priorities, such as the Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz's Community Health Inspector (CHI) Program, noting that such integrated models are essential to strengthening Pakistan's health systems and enabling scale. The Minister reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to support initiatives that bridge academia, policy and implementation, ensuring sustainable and evidence-based solutions for our communities.

A defining feature of the event was the strong integration of academia with district health systems. Dr. Ehsan Ghani, CEO District Health Authority, Rawalpindi, highlighted the efforts to ensure that training translates into deployment and community service, with graduates already embedded within the health system to meet local needs.

He highlighted the close alignment of the initiative with the Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz's Community Health Inspector (CHI) Program, a flagship effort to strengthen household-level access to essential health services. By expanding the pool of trained Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) and Community Midwives (CMWs), the CM Punjab initiative supports enhanced community-level service delivery, improved maternal and child health outcomes, and strengthened preventive and promotive care.

The ceremony marked the graduation of LHV and CMW students from the Institute of Public Health Nursing and Midwifery (IPHN&M)-GIHD, many of whom are already serving within district health systems through the CM Punjab CHI Initiative. This model ensures competency-based training, system-linked deployment and immediate contribution to women's empowerment and quality healthcare delivery in rural community settings.

A key innovation of the model is the integration of mental health into primary care and community platforms, aligned with Pakistan's commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).