The health experts at the Third International e-Health Conference called for a fundamental shift in the way information was accessed and shared across the health system in Pakistan on Saturday.
The two-day conference, organised by the e-Health Association of Pakistan, started at the University of Health Sciences (UHS). The theme of the conference is “Road to National e-Health Strategy for Pakistan”. Around 400 participants including medical students, Information Technology experts, health providers, policy makers and experts on e-Health from Canada, United States, Britain, Switzerland, Spain, East Africa, Nepal, Philippines and Afghanistan are participating in the conference.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Punjab Education Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that the government was taking all necessary measures for the administration, promotion, development and use of information technology in the province. The education minister said that eHealth could play a crucial role in controlling epidemics, such as polio and dengue fever, through an effective surveillance system.
UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Hussain Mubbashar said that the better use of information technology should enable the implementation of national healthcare reforms and policy agendas, improving the efficiency, safety and sustainability of the healthcare system. He announced to make e-Health an essential part of the curricula of various professional courses at the UHS. World Health Organisation (WHO) regional focal person for eHealth Hani Farouk said that e-Health should be viewed as both, the essential infrastructure underpinning information exchange between all participants in a healthcare system and as a key enabler and driver of improved health outcomes.
He said that the WHO had recognised e-Health as the way to achieve cost-effective and secure use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for health and related fields and urged its member states to consider drawing up long-term strategic plans for developing and implementing eHealth services and infrastructure in their health sectors.
Speaking on the occasion, eHealth Association of Pakistan (eHAP) President Dr Haroon Roedad Khan said that the conference was dedicated to Arfa Karim Randhawa to honour her exceptional work and her efforts in the field of information technology. He announced that the “Arfa Karim Gold Medal” would be awarded every year to the best paper on e-Health.
He said that for the successful preparation of an indigenous e-Health strategy, the close cooperation between healthcare and telecommunication professionals was essential. He said further, “The health system in Pakistan is straining to deal with the increasing cost and demand pressures and a shortage of skilled healthcare workers. We have to move away from a reliance on tools such as pen, paper and human memory to an environment where patients, care providers and healthcare managers can reliably access and share health information in real time across geographic and health sector boundaries. The only way this can be achieved is through formulation and implementation of world class e-Health policy.”
The aim of the conference is to identify and prioritise the areas of e-Health development in Pakistan that could lead to the formation of a National e-Health Strategy for the country. The conference includes panel discussions, paper presentations, scientific poster competitions, keynote addresses and workshops on the e-Health technology.
LOTS OF SEMINARS ARE BEING CONDUCTED ON HEART CASE,BUT WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF THESE MEETINGS.ULTIMATELY THE TREATMENT OF THIS IS COMING VERY EXPENSIVE AND OUT OF THE REACH OF POOR NATION.DID THEY CONSIDER AND THINK ABOUT THE STANDARD AND CHEAPS MEDICINES.BUT UBLUCKILY THEY ARE AFTER MAKING MONEY AND NOTHING OUTCOME.THE PROFESSION OF MEDICINES IS ALREADY VERY PROFITABLE ,BUT ALLAS THEY DO NOT THINK TO REDUCE THE COSTS OF MEDICINES,A POOR PATIENT CANNOT AFFOR THE HIGH EXPENSES AT LAHORE.PI.C.IF THE PATIENT WANTS THE BY-PAST OF HEART,HE IS ASKED TO BRING MONEY NOT LESS THAN 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND.THIS IS VERY DEPLOREABLE SITUATION AND TO WHOM THEY GO FOR REMEDY.THE GOVERNMENT IS ONLY EXPERT IN MAKING BIG,BIG SLOGANS,BUT NEVER THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS,THE COMMON PEOPLE ARE FACING.EVEN LOWER STAFF DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR TIPS.THIS IS A SHAMEFUL AND CONDEMNABLE ACTS.UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS COUNTRY THERE IS NO LAW,ONLY ALLAHA TAALA IS GOVERNING OR OTHERWISE PHYSICALLY OR PRACTICALLY THERE IS NO RULE AND LAWS.WHERE OT GO TO WHOM WE APPEAL EXCEPT ALLAHA.
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