Select your language
Dr Chris Schmotzer: “I wanted to work in a country where more medical services were needed”
The Medical Director of the Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital in Pakistan recalls what inspired her, 4 decades ago, to leave Germany and move 6000 km to serve the most vulnerable 9 October 2025, Islamabad, Pakistan – Islamabad, Shortly after completing her medical studies in 1988, Dr Chris Schmotzer, a German physician, travelled to Pakistan to serve...
Masood Khan, Pakistan: From polio survivor to vaccinator in Peshawar
8 October 2025 – “I couldn’t walk because of polio, so my brother used to carry my bag to school every day. When other children were playing at school, I could only watch them and feel sad. It was very disappointing. That is why I took up the vaccinator course to help protect children from this crippling disease called polio.” Growing up with a...
Free medicines bring new hope for children battling cancer in Pakistan
The partnership between WHO and the Ministry of Health to address childhood cancer plays a crucial role in combating noncommunicable diseases which account for 53% of all deaths in the country Hasnain, a cancer patient, with his mother at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. Photo credit: Sara Akmal/WHO Pakistan28 September 2025,...
Pakistan joins 150 countries to protect 13 million girls from cervical cancer with WHO-prequalified vaccine
Over 49 000 Pakistani health workers trained by the World Health Organization will be mobilized by the Government of Pakistan in a campaign that targets girls aged 9–14 years WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo joined the official launch of the campaign presided over by Federal Minister of Health Syed Mustafa Kamal. Photo: WHO...
Protecting babies in Pakistan through Kangaroo Mother Care
Faiza with her daughter Aizal on her follow-up visit at the Kangaroo Mother Care Centre, Haripur District Headquarters Hospital. 10 September 2025, Islamabad - "We stayed at the Kangaroo Mother Care Centre because Aizal had low weight, only 2 kilograms,” said Faiza, a mother from Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Aizal, a “miracle” baby...
Gates Foundation and WHO partner to meet the health needs of 465 000 people affected by floods in Pakistan
The donation will support the World Health Organization’s partnership with Pakistan to strengthen preparedness and response in 33 high-risk and priority flood-affected districts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan. WHO Representative and teams during a visit with provincial authorities to evaluate the impact of a recent...
WHO training 49,000 health workers for Pakistan’s first HPV drive to protect 13 million girls from cervical cancer
The introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine aligns with the World Health Assembly’s Global Strategy to eliminate the third most frequent cancer among women in Pakistan. Health workers attend a WHO-led training for the introduction of the HPV vaccine in Punjab, Pakistan. Photo credit: WHOJuly 2025, Islamabad Pakistan – The World Health...
WHO: breastfeeding critical for public health and preventing annual losses of US$2.8 billion in Pakistan
Only 48.4% of Pakistani children under six 6 months are exclusively breastfed, well below the World Health Assembly’s 2030 target of 60%. A mother and a child in a WHO-supported nutrition stabilization centre where mothers receive counselling on breastfeeding. Photo credit: WHO/Sajjad Hafeez10 August 2025, Islamabad, Pakistan – As World...
Testing and treatment bring new hope to hepatitis C patients in Pakistan
Surayya, an HCV survivor, at Islamabad’s Civil Dispensary. Photo credit: Sara Akmal/WHO Pakistan3 August 2025, Islamabad, Pakistan – “Hepatitis C is a deadly disease; everyone should get tested,” says Safina Saqib, a hepatitis C patient now fully recovered. She is one of the 30 000 patients from slum areas of Islamabad Capital Territory who have...
Pakistan and WHO aim to intensify hepatitis C prevention to avert 850 000 deaths and 1 million new infections
Experts from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization estimate that, in addition to saving lives, the country will save PKR 3.3 billion over the next 5 years Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal chairs the celebration of World Hepatitis Day, accompanied by WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo. Photo credit: WHO/Sara...
