Event Coordinator
faisalrifaq@gmail.com
Universal health coverage in today’s world has become an essential target to be achieved. However, a challenge that confronts many low- and middle-income countries is ensuring access to basic health services for an entire population without any financial hardship or barriers. To achieve and sustain universal health coverage, governments should generate enough resources to provide safety nets to the masses. Social health protection (SHP) is an important tool that helps in reducing poverty and inequality. The key objective lying behind the SHP concept is to achieve universal health coverage that leads to effective access to essential health care for all in need. The effective access to the health benefits is only possible when certain conditions are met including, i) a rights-based approach ii) affordability of necessary health care (without financial hardship or increased risk of poverty) iii) availability of necessary health services of adequate quality iv) and last but not least financial protection. Pakistan in a very short period has successfully launched and is running country’s largest social health protection programme (Sehat Sahulat Program – SSP) covering over 8.0 million poor families to date. The programme is being implemented nationwide in a phased-wise manner and there is a serious effort of the government to achieve UHC in Pakistan.
| Title of talk | Speaker Name |
|---|---|
| Social Health Protection Initiatives in Pakistan and highlights of independent actuarial analysis of Sehat Sahulat Program conducted by German Government (GIZ) and International Labour Organization (ILO) | Dr. Faisal Rifaq |
| Role, Challenges and Opportunities for Public and Private Healthcare Providers in Effective implementation of Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) by quality service delivery and cost optimization | Mr. Muhammad Arshad |
| Effective implementation of Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) through research and evidence-based decisions | Mr. Muhammad Ashar |
| Objectives of the Panel Discussion | Speaker Name |
|---|---|
| The media is an essential vehicle of mass communication across industries, and healthcare is no exception. Notably, the ubiquitous nature of mass media (print, electronic, radio, and the internet) makes it a powerful tool for directing attention to specific issues, helping steer the public towards topics they should think about. It has substantial power in setting agendas, i.e., what we should be concerned about and take action on, and framing issues, i.e., how we should think about them. However, the public health community and policymakers have not always been sensitive to the importance and power of the media in shaping the public’s health. The abundance of health-related content and the speed of its dissemination in the media means that the news and information presented for consumption do not pass through the filters of responsible media. The need of the moment is accurate reporting. Discourse on this topic by bringing together stakeholders from the medical and media fraternity to reach sustainable suggestions and solutions is essential. |
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