27 April 2021, Cairo – On 24 March 2021, a national workshop on health research prioritization was held in Islamabad by WHO Pakistan and the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, with technical support from the Regional Office's Science, Information and Dissemination division based on recent WHO guidance on the use of a systematic approach to research priority-setting. Participants included senior officials from the Ministry, Director-Generals of provincial Ministries of Health, senior faculty from academia, representatives of sister UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations, and WHO staff from country and regional offices.
The main aim of the workshop was to develop a list of public health research priorities for the next 3–5 years in five thematic areas: i) communicable diseases, ii) noncommunicable diseases, iii) reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, iv) health services and systems, and v) mental health. Prior to the workshop, an exhaustive list of 272 research statements was formalized with the help of national researchers and experts. Working in groups, workshop participants scored and prioritized research statements in the five areas. Consequently, 50 research statements, 10 for each area, were prioritized and short-listed based on the scores given in the group work. The short-listed research statements were endorsed by the Technical Working Group during a subsequent meeting on 25 March 2021.
Key actions planned for the future include: the development of an implementation plan for the national health research priorities, engaging all provinces and territories of the country; dissemination of the national health research priorities by federal and provincial governments and academic institutions through their websites and social media accounts; informing relevant parliamentarian committees on the workshop's proceedings; and the development of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation plan by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination.
Related links
Summary report on the national workshop for health research priority setting in Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan, 24 March 2021
A systematic approach for undertaking a research priority-setting exercise: guidance for WHO staff
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