ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Malik has dire cted the District Health Office (DHO) Islamabad to ensure urgent reforms in city`s healthcare system.Chairing a meeting with the district health officer (DHO), he asked for the immediate shift from manual to a digitised District Health Information System (DHIS2) to improve data management and efficiency. He also emphasised the need to resolve issues related to the medical officers, health workforce and accelerate hiring processes to addressstaffshortages.

The minister called for the development of at least five nursing colleges with five community health centres (CHCs) across Islamabad.

He also stressed the importance of launching mobile health clinics. He instructed the DHO to collaborate with Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority to involve theprivate sector to establish 24/7 birth-dose (vaccination) sites.

The state minister highlighted the need for collection of data on missing, zero-dose and refusal children to be used to strengthen immunisation efforts in ICT.

With the dengue season approaching, the minister said ongoing dengue control efforts must be completed immediately.He also called for the urgent implementation of these priorities to improve healthcare services across Islamabad.

Disability rights The government has been urged to play its role in ensuring disability rights as the United Nations`Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be met unless world leaders take concrete action on disability rights at a major summit this April.

The Global Disability Summit, which will take place in Berlin on April 2-3 comes as a UN report reveals insufficient progress on disability inclusion. The report highlights stalled or reversed progress in nearly 14pc of SDG targets, including access to financial resources, healthcare, water, information and communication technologies, and building resilience for people with disabilities during emergencies.

In a statement, Munazza Gillani, Director Sightsavers Pakistan andMiddle East, said: `Here in Pakistan these challenges are all too real.

Our government must use the Global Disability Summit to make specific, funded commitments that will make a real difference to the lives of people with disabilities from education and health care to employment and protection from violence. The summit presents a unique opportunity for Pakistan to demonstrate leadership in disability inclusion and we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.

In Pakistan, there is around 16pc population with some disability who are lacking access to basic human rights. As Pakistan prepares to participate in the upcoming Global Disability Summit, it has a uniqueopportunity to reaffirm its commitments to inclusive development and empowerment of people with disabilities.

Secretary to National Coordinator Community Based Inclusive Development Network Asim Zafar said: `Around 1.3 billion people worldwide that`s nearly one in five of us have a disability. Yet despite repeated promises of inclusion, people with disabilities face deepening inequalities. Words are not enough to address these. We need urgent action on disability rights. Without a clear plan to put recent commitments into action, we will fail to reach our collective goal of a safe, inclusive and sustainable world.