Five-day UHC implementation discourse from today.

ISLAMABAD -- A five-day national discourse on the development and implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) benefit package will start (today). Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza will chair the inauguration session, which will be attended by Provincial and Federating Area Health Secretaries and Director General Health Services. Representatives from the Disease Control Priorities 3 (DCP3) secretariat, Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Radboud University, World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB), UK's Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Aga Khan University (AKU), Health Services Academy (HSA) and other stakeholders will also attend the event.

Pakistan is committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and the Universal Health Coverage. Pakistan is making progress on health outcomes but progresses very slow with serious equity issues. Only 86 million Pakistani were having access to essential...