PM urges global efforts to address health security challenges

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has stressed the importance of global collaboration and the exploration of funding mechanisms to support countries in need, aiming to ensure comprehensive health security on a global scale.

The remarks were made during the inaugural session of the first-ever two-day Global Health Security Summit 2024 here.

The premier called for a well-funded country medium-term roadmap aligned with the International Health Regulations Core Capacities evaluation. He stressed the need to enhance coordination in the health sector across borders, promoting a "One Health" approach that recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health.

He also called for the establishment of global frameworks facilitating information sharing, collaborative research, and coordinated strategies for effective emergency response.

PM Kakar underscored the necessity of a strong surveillance system and a tiered public health laboratory network for early detection, response, and mitigation of diseases, seeking collaborative efforts to establish international standards for food safety and harmonize regulations for the protection of populations worldwide.

Addressing antimicrobial resistance, the PM stressed the importance of international cooperation and the development and enforcement of global standards for responsible antibiotic use and infection prevention.

He also highlighted the challenges posed by population growth, rapid urbanization, and climate change, emphasizing the need for collective responses beyond national boundaries.

Drawing lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, PM Kakar sought collaboration, preparedness, and a unified response to such crises in the future. He envisaged a world where health security is a universal right, and the strength of a country’s health systems is measured by their ability to prevent, detect, and mitigate health threats.

The prime minister called for multisectoral collaboration, highlighting the interplay of health, environment, agriculture, and security. He sought an interconnected global health ecosystem to address the challenges ahead.

Noting the high costs of climate injustice in Pakistan, he affirmed the country's commitment to collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international entities to shape global health policies.

Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan, in his address, outlined the summit's goals, including equity-based pandemic preparedness financing for low and middle-income countries, knowledge exchange, and discussions on vaccine equity, patent deregulation, and technology transfer with global leaders and experts in attendance.