Public Health · Short notes

National Health Programmes of Pakistan: Short Notes & Cheat Sheet

EPI, polio eradication, the Lady Health Worker programme, TB, malaria, HIV and hepatitis programmes, MNCH, nutrition and the Sehat Card.

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Short notes

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Pakistan's main national health programmes

Most are now run by provincial health departments, with federal coordination and donor support.

Governance

After the 18th Amendment (2010), health became a provincial subject and most vertical programmes were devolved to the provinces.
The federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination coordinates national policy, international commitments and regulation.
Programmes are often supported by partners such as WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and the Global Fund.

Major programmes

Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI, launched 1978): free routine vaccines for children and tetanus–diphtheria for women.
Polio Eradication Initiative: national immunisation campaigns with oral polio vaccine, run through emergency operations centres, since Pakistan remains polio-endemic.
Lady Health Worker Programme (1994): trained women health workers serve their own communities with family planning, maternal and child health care, immunisation support and basic treatment.
National TB Control Programme: DOTS strategy, free diagnosis (including GeneXpert) and treatment.
Malaria, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis control programmes provide testing, treatment and prevention; hepatitis C elimination efforts focus on screening and direct-acting antivirals.

Mothers, children and financing

The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) programme trained community midwives and improved emergency obstetric care.
Nutrition efforts include universal salt iodisation, food fortification and treatment of child malnutrition.
The Sehat Sahulat Programme (Sehat Card), launched in 2015–16, provides health insurance for hospital care, later extended to universal coverage in some provinces.
Family planning services are delivered through population welfare departments and LHWs.

Cheat sheet

High-yield facts in one place. Cover the right-hand column and test yourself.

Programme → key fact

Programme	Key fact
EPI	Launched 1978; free childhood vaccines
Polio eradication	Pakistan and Afghanistan still endemic
Lady Health Workers	Started 1994; community-based women workers
TB control	DOTS; free treatment; GeneXpert
Hepatitis	Screening + DAAs for HCV elimination
MNCH	Community midwives, obstetric care
Sehat Card	Health insurance, from 2015–16
Salt iodisation	Prevents goitre and cretinism

Memory aids

EPI '78, LHW '94: EPI was launched in 1978 and the Lady Health Worker Programme in 1994.

Exam traps

After the 18th Amendment, health delivery is mainly a provincial responsibility.
Lady Health Workers are community-based, not hospital-based.
Pakistan is one of only two countries where wild polio is still endemic.
The Sehat Card covers hospital (inpatient) care, not routine outpatient medicines.

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