Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has reaffirmed the government’s resolve to strengthen real-time disease surveillance and ensure data accuracy across Pakistan’s healthcare system.
During a visit to the Sehat Sahulat Program’s data center in Islamabad, the minister stressed the need for a more integrated approach to medical recordkeeping—one that would benefit not just Sehat Card users but all citizens.
Speaking to officials at the facility, Kamal proposed the development of a Universal Medical Record (UMR) system that would assign every citizen a unique medical identity, linked to their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number.
“This system will be a game-changer,” he said. “Doctors across the country will be able to instantly access a patient’s medical history—regardless of where they were treated—helping ensure faster, more accurate diagnoses and better overall care.”
The initiative, if implemented, could bring Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure closer to global digital health standards. By digitizing records and linking them to CNICs, the government aims to bridge existing data gaps, reduce medical errors, and enhance pandemic preparedness through real-time disease tracking.
Health experts present at the briefing welcomed the move, highlighting the potential of such a system to not only streamline patient care but also improve health policymaking through better data collection.
Kamal emphasized that transparency, data security, and accessibility will be at the heart of this initiative, and consultations with provincial health departments are already underway.
As Pakistan continues to modernize its healthcare ecosystem, the proposed Universal Medical Record system could become a cornerstone in delivering more equitable, efficient, and responsive medical services to its population.
