Govt plans around Rs7bn project to screen population for diabetes

Mettis Global reported that authorities are preparing a Rs6.8 billion initiative to screen people nationwide for diabetes. National Health Services Minister Mustafa Kamal outlined the plan at an Islamabad event on Tuesday, saying the launch will take place in the federal capital before provinces follow. Kamal called for a coordinated drive on prevention and stronger awareness campaigns to curb the spread of the disease.

The announcement follows a recent push in health work by the government. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that Phase One of the Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre be finished by March next year. He also pressed for faster health sector reforms during a review of that complex and the Phase-II expansion of the Federal Government Polyclinic.

The government maintains that quality healthcare for citizens remains among its top priorities. Taken together, the screening project and the hospital work point to a wider health sector agenda being pursued at the federal level.