Digital health, demographic profiling reviewed
Punjab has become the first province in the country to digitally map the health and demographic profiles of its citizens, with a digital health census nearing completion under the Community Health Inspectors Programme.
According to a statement, more than 85 per cent of the population in 18 districts has been covered. Five districts have achieved 100% coverage, while another five districts have completed over 95% profiling.
Nearly 94.3 million health and demographic profiles have been registered across Punjab.
The progress was reviewed in a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The CM was informed that every household in Punjab had been assigned a unique identification number through digital mapping, while 14,300 community health inspectors had conducted door-to-door visits to collect citizens' medical, demographic and socio-economic data.
The chief minister personally reviewed the programme's digital dashboard, which contains comprehensive information on citizens' health status, lifestyle, economic conditions, access to drinking water and disabilities.
Officials said 16 cardiac catheterisation laboratories would be made operational across the province by December. Five labs are already functional, while orders have been issued to make operational the facilities in Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar and Layyah at the earliest.
The CM also sought weekly performance reports on the operational cath labs. She ordered officials to improve the home delivery system for medicines and instructed the health department to launch a comprehensive population management campaign.
"Without authentic data, no policy can be effective," the CM said, adding that healthcare services would be planned and delivered on the basis of verified digital data instead of estimates. She observed that accurate data was essential to determine the number of patients and medicines required in each area and noted that many basic health issues and diseases had never before been systematically documented.