PDA Meets Sindh's Health Minister on the Digital Sectoral Plan for Healthcare

Pakistan's digital health transformation runs through its provinces as much as its federal institutions, and what reaches national scale is what was first made to work at the grassroots.

The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) held an introductory meeting with Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Health, Sindh. Saflain Haider, Executive Director, Digital Innovation Lab (Health Sector), shared progress on the Digital Sectoral Plan for the health sector, presented findings from the nationwide consultative workshops, and sought the Minister's guidance on the way forward.

The Minister made the case for a bottom-up approach to digital transformation. Existing data systems at the grassroots should be strengthened first, so that the sector has a robust foundational architecture beneath it and the health system is ready to support digital health solutions at scale. She also underlined data security and patient data privacy as the sector moves forward.

A plan built with the provinces is a plan built to work, which is why co-creation is not a stage in the process but the whole method. PDA will continue engaging provincial stakeholders to refine the Digital Sectoral Plan so that it reflects the priorities and needs of Pakistan's health system.