Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Thursday emphasized the need for Pakistan to adopt telemedicine as part of its health care system.

In a speech with the media after his visit to Pim’s Hospital in Islamabad, Kamal said it is not possible to treat the entire population through traditional health systems.

He pointed out that the lack of basic health units is forcing people to rely on larger hospitals. Kamal emphasized that telemedicine, a global practice, could help provide medical services, including consultations and medicine, directly to people’s doorsteps.

“We have to deliver medicine and doctors at people’s door steps. We cannot treat everyone through hospitals alone. Given the modern world, we need to move towards telemedicine,” he said.

He shared that seven surgery theaters have been designed at a price of Rs 2.1 billion, which will be equipped with advanced facilities. While he recognizes that things are not ideal, he said there is room for improvement.

Mustafa Kamal also clarified that there are currently no plans to hand over PIMs to a public-private partnership. He added that the future work on the health card scheme is underway.

“The health care system is associated with the welfare of humanity. When people are in pain, they go to hospitals. The poor turn to public hospitals while the wealthy can afford private care,” he said.

During the visit, patients raised several complaints ahead of the Minister of Health.

A patient claimed there was a shortage of medicine and hospital beds. Another shared that X -ray films last month had run out and patients were forced to visit private laboratories.

A man said his brother was in a life-threatening state but no ICU bed was available. In response, Pim’s CEO of Dr. Rana Imran Sikandar that ICU beds could not be awarded to cancer patients.

Minister Mustafa Kamal instructed the hospital’s authorities to provide all possible facilities to patients.