Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal and Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja jointly chaired a review meeting on the progress of the “One Patient, One ID” project, with participants agreeing on a coordinated plan to make the system operational soon in line with the Prime Minister’s directions.
The meeting reviewed the project’s progress and discussed practical steps required for its early implementation. It was agreed that clear Terms of Reference (TORs) would be prepared to define the way forward, identify possible shortcomings in the project and set out measures to remove them.
The system is aimed at making a patient’s complete medical history and previous record easily available when the patient is shifted from one hospital to another. Under the project, a citizen’s Computerised National Identity Card number will serve as the unique medical record number, or MR number.
Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said Pakistan had planned a Universal Medical Record (UMR) system and work on it was moving ahead rapidly. He noted that Pakistan currently did not have Universal Medical Record data and said the new arrangement would allow a patient’s medical record to be available under one identity instead of being scattered across different hospitals and institutions.
He said the “One Patient, One ID” project should not face further delay or unnecessary repetition. He directed that issues under discussion for the past 14 to 15 months should now be formally documented and practical solutions should be worked out for all pending matters.
The health minister also called for a third-party audit of the project. It was decided that a third-party review would be conducted to ensure quality and transparency, and to provide an impartial assessment of the project’s progress, gaps and required improvements.
“Only identifying issues is not enough; clear steps and responsibilities must be fixed for their resolution,” Syed Mustafa Kamal said, urging all relevant institutions to fulfil their roles and move the project forward under an agreed mechanism.
Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the combination of technology and health was being used to make the treatment system more transparent and modern through medical records.
The meeting also agreed to activate an IT wing in the Ministry of Health to understand the system and operate it properly. All relevant institutions also agreed to finalise the project swiftly through a unified procedure for public welfare.
