RADS Hosts High-Level Dialogue on Leveraging Burden of Disease Data for Smarter Health Policy in Pakistan
Islamabad: – Research and Development Solutions (RADS), a national leader in research, monitoring and evaluation, and technical assistance, convened a high-impact policy dialogue aimed at advancing the use of disease burden data to improve public health decision-making in Pakistan.
The event brings together senior government officials, international donors, development partners, and technical experts to explore how robust data, especially from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative can drive better planning, resource allocation, and accountability in the country’s health sector.
Dr. Muhammad Safi Former DG Health while giving his keynote speech said, “Pakistan’s health system stands to benefit enormously from a stronger, more systematic use of BoD data to ensure that policies are not only evidence-based but also responsive to regional needs. He also mentioned that data is being produced and integrated, but the process is slow, and it need more collaborations for increased impact.”
The speakers emphasized on collaborations among different stakeholders for effective and equitable policy responses across Pakistan’s provinces and regions. They shared the current landscape of data use in health policy and its challenges with the solution to improve it.
Dr. Saima Bashir Member Social Protection & Devolution Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives emphasized that the gap between academia and policy makers is still persistent and needs bridging for an integrated approach. She mentioned that access to data is crucial and data sharing policy is need of the hour.
Dr. Adnan Khan, Chief Knowledge Officer at RADS, emphasized that bridging the gap between data and policy is becoming increasingly urgent and essential with each passing day.
The dialogue is part of RADS’ ongoing collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). This initiative is focused on providing subnational estimates of disease burden and health risk factors, with the goal of supporting more effective and equitable policy responses across Pakistan’s provinces and regions.
The event will serve as a platform for initiating long-term collaboration among stakeholders and developing actionable recommendations to institutionalize the use of disease burden data in national health strategies.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
