Federal Health Minister Syed Mustufa Kamal today advocated for a nationwide Universal Medical Record (UMR) system during his visit to the Sehat Sahulat Program’s Data Centre at State Life Tower in Islamabad.

Accompanied by senior health ministry officials, Kamal toured the facility and received briefings on its functions from Sehat Sahulat Program CEO Muhammad Arshad and State Life”s Divisional Head of Health and Accidental Insurance, Muhammad Ashar. The minister also inspected the E-Claims Centre.

The Sehat Sahulat Program currently operates in a paperless format, using the Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) as a medical record. Kamal highlighted the nation”s current lack of a comprehensive patient history tracking system and stressed the importance of expanding the Sehat Sahulat Program”s existing framework. He proposed incorporating all citizens into a national database, with CNIC numbers serving as unique medical identifiers.

This centralized system, Kamal explained, would enable immediate access to the complete medical profiles of all 240 million Pakistanis. Such accessibility would empower medical professionals with readily available patient histories, promoting efficient diagnoses and treatments, and ultimately enhancing healthcare outcomes.

Accurate and readily available health information, the minister added, is crucial for developing effective public health strategies. Kamal commended the Sehat Sahulat Program and State Life teams for their work and reiterated his commitment to ensuring precise disease monitoring and data integrity nationwide.