PDA Meets with WHO Pakistan to Discuss the Digital Health Sector Plan

Digital health is not a matter of simply putting hospitals online. Since health is one of the most critical sectors, the governance has to be built before the systems are.

The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) met the World Health Organization (WHO) Pakistan to strengthen collaboration on Pakistan's digital health ecosystem. The meeting was led by Dr. Sohail Munir, Chairperson, PDA, and Dr. Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Pakistan.

Dr. Sohail shared progress on the National Digital Masterplan, in which health sits as a strategic priority sector, and on the Digital Health Sector Plan now being shaped through consultations with federal and provincial stakeholders. PDA also set out its vision for Pakistan's Digital Public Infrastructure: a National Data Exchange, sectoral digital stacks, interoperable health information systems and foundational digital registries to enable secure and seamless digital public services.

WHO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pakistan's digital health journey through global technical expertise, international best practice, digital health frameworks, AI governance and ethics guidance, and support on interoperability and health data governance. The discussion also emphasized the transformative role of AI and digital technologies in disease surveillance, hospital management, electronic health records, clinical decision support, and public health intelligence.

PDA and WHO agreed to deepen collaboration in the following areas:

• Digital Health Governance and Policy Development
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
• Artificial Intelligence in Health and AI Governance
• Health Data Governance and Interoperability
• International Standards and Technical Cooperation
• Provincial Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building
• Development and implementation of the National Digital Health Sector Plan

Both organisations committed to regular technical engagement as the work proceeds. Sustained engagement matters more than a single agreement, because policy, standards, frameworks and capacity will be built over time as the Digital Health Sector Plan moves from consultation to implementation.