Pharma Veterans

Funding Cuts Threaten Progress Against HIV, Hepatitis and STIs – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1298 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1298 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Gustavo Fring Credit: Ivan S Preamble This blog post is based on recent report by the World Health Organization. Link at the end. Funding Cuts Threaten Decades of Progress Against HIV, Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections For more than three decades, the global fight against HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been one of public health's greatest success stories. Millions of lives have been saved through scientific innovation, international cooperation, expanded access to medicines, community-led programs, and sustained political commitment. Diseases that were once cons...

Investing in Health is Investing in Growth – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1274 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1274 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Mikhail Nilov Preamble This blog post is based on a CARE International Report. CARE International is a global humanitarian and development NGO fighting global poverty and responding to crises. Operating in over 120 countries, they run programs covering disaster relief, health, education, and climate resilience. Link at the end. Strong Health Systems, Strong Economies: Why Investing in Health Is Investing in Growth For too long, healthcare has been viewed primarily as a social sector expense, a moral obligation to care for the sick, protect the vulnerable, and improve quality of life. While this perspective remains valid, it is increasin...

WHO Report 2025 – Universal Health Coverage – Part 2 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1197 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1197 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here. Credit: CDC Library Preamble This 2-part blog post is based on WHO report on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2025. To access full report, use this link. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240117815  Part II – “What Must Happen Now: Translating UHC Commitments into Resilient, Equitable Health Systems” The findings of the 2025 UHC monitoring report sound a clear alarm. For advocates, policymakers, global health bodies, and national governments; urgent action is required. But the challenge is not just technical or financial: it demands vision, strategy, and sustained political commitment. Here’s a roadmap, informed by the r...

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Aging Population 2 - Solutions – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1168 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1168 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma    Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Dongfang Credit: Rajan Goswami Preamble This blog post is based on several Pakistani studies, UN report and McKinsey report. Links at the end. Part 2: Bridging the Gap – Strategies, Innovations, and Pathways Forward Given the magnitude of the challenge, what can governments, donors, health systems, communities, and the private sector do to narrow the care gap for NCDs in aging, developing nations? Below are key strategic directions which may be adapted to local environment. Transform Primary and Community Care into Chronic-Care Hubs Redesign primary care to act as the front line for chronic disease m...

Gen Z Approach to Healthcare – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1109 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1109 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com . Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com   for publishing your contributions here. Erin Li Credit: Kaboompics Credit: RDNE Stock Project Preamble The healthcare landscape is undergoing a major shift, not only due to technological advancements and pandemic-induced reforms, but also because of changing consumer behaviors. At the center of this evolution is Generation Z, the cohort born between 1996 and 2010. As the first truly digital-native generation, Gen Z is redefining how healthcare is consumed, understood, and accessed. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z approaches healthcare with a tech-first mindset. This generation lives online — they socialize, learn, shop, and increasingly, manage their health via digital platforms. Their expect...

Healthcare Landscape in Pakistan – Sum Up – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #987 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #987 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Ahmet Kurt Credit: Anna Shvets Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko This is the 12th blog post on the topic of healthcare in this series. I have talked about all major stakeholders, their roles, and their issues. It is time to sum up the entire discussion, hence this post. Rather than summing up all the points discussed so far, I shall talk about the impact of various stakeholders on the healthcare system in Pakistan. I shall focus on the system itself under various heads. Strengths Pakistan can rightly claim to have a highly developed, elaborate healthcare system among low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). There are separate, dedicated institutes for...

Healthcare Landscape in Pakistan – Regulatory Structure – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post 981 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post 981 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Credit: Edward Jenner Credit: Andrea Piacquadio Credit: Imad Clicks As is the case in other government functions, there are several institutions who are supposed to regulate various components of healthcare. After 18th Amendment, health was devolved to provinces. So, now there are federal and provincial bodies supposed to regulate healthcare. The state of healthcare, however, is anything but satisfactory. The major reason is that the regulatory bodies do not coordinate with one another and keep blowing their own trumpets without achieving anything concrete. The biggest problem with government agencies and particularly regulatory bodies is th...

Healthcare Landscape in Pakistan – Public Sector – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post 977 Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post 977 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here. Civil Hospital Karachi Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Karachi Mayo Hospital Lahore Healthcare is among the basic rights granted by the constitution. UHC – Universal Health Coverage – is also among the UN Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs.  Having said that, healthcare system in every country must keep evolving due to growing needs of people, constantly emerging new public health challenges, and the diversity of population demographics due to rural urban migration and other factors. Public Healthcare System – PHS, comprises of public and private sectors that cater to the huge population of over 240 million. Major challenges faced by PHS i...