Allied Health Professionals Council’s regional office inaugurated in Karachi

KARACHI: Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal on Saturday inaugurated the Sindh regional office of the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC) in Karachi, marking a significant step towards facilitating allied health professionals, students and educational institutions in the province.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Mustafa Kamal said the establishment of the regional office would end the longstanding difficulties faced by thousands of institutions and millions of allied health professionals who previously had to travel to Islamabad for registration and other official matters.

He said all services related to allied health professionals would now be available in Karachi, eliminating the need for students and institutions in Sindh to visit the federal capital.

The minister said a one-window facility had also been introduced at the regional office, where professionals and institutions could obtain information and have their queries addressed at a single location.

He added that dedicated staff would be available in Karachi to deal with registration-related matters and other issues, providing relief to allied health professionals across the province.

Notably, the Allied Health Professionals Council is a statutory regulatory body to regulate the education, training, professional standards and registration of allied health professionals across Pakistan.

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The council oversees various non-physician and non-nursing healthcare professions, including physiotherapy, medical laboratory technology, radiology and rehabilitation services. Its headquarters are located in Islamabad under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.

Speaking at the ceremony, the federal health minister also called for the creation of smaller provinces, describing it as a necessity for the country’s administrative and governance structure.

He said Pakistan’s existing provinces were larger than many countries, claiming that Punjab was larger than 180 countries, Sindh than 175 countries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa than 162 countries and Balochistan than 185 countries.

Referring to administrative structures in neighbouring countries, he said Iran had 17 provinces, Afghanistan 37 and India 38.

“Creating smaller provinces is not anyone’s personal desire; it has become a necessity for Pakistan,” Mustafa Kamal said.