Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal Calls on Pakistani Diaspora to Partner in Pakistan’s Economic and Healthcare Transformation
Orlando, Florida, July 5: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, has urged overseas Pakistanis to play a proactive role in Pakistan’s journey towards sustainable development, healthcare modernization and economic transformation during his visit to the United States.
Addressing the 49th Annual Convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) in Orlando and engaging with members of the Pakistani-American business community, the minister emphasized that Pakistan’s future depends on investing in human capital, innovation and technology under the government’s flagship development initiative, URAAN Pakistan.
Ahsan Iqbal said the government is placing education, healthcare, population management and technological advancement at the center of national planning and stressed the importance of leveraging the expertise of overseas Pakistani professionals.
To strengthen healthcare delivery, he proposed an innovative Telemedicine Backup Model, under which ten US-based Pakistani medical specialists would be assigned to each of Pakistan’s sixty districts. The specialists would provide remote clinical support and guidance to young doctors serving in underserved and remote areas, enabling access to quality healthcare through digital technologies.
The minister also called upon overseas Pakistani physicians and technology experts to assist Pakistan in developing Artificial Intelligence-driven healthcare solutions, digital health platforms and modern medical innovations to transform the country’s healthcare sector.
Highlighting key human development challenges, Ahsan Iqbal pointed to the prevalence of Hepatitis C, diabetes, tuberculosis, polio, rapid population growth and child stunting, noting that these issues require coordinated national efforts and international expertise. He informed participants that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has approved the establishment of the National Population Council, comprising all provincial chief ministers, to formulate a unified strategy on population management. He also noted that Hepatitis C elimination programmes are underway in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, while a nationwide diabetes awareness campaign will soon be launched
