ISLAMABAD: The federal government has appointed Pakistan’s internationally acclaimed global health expert Dr. Sania Nishtar to chair the board of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP),
According to a statement released by BISP, the government had invited the health expert to head BISP. Following her acceptance, the government has made the appointment.
Dr. Nishtar is a well-respected apolitical professional, civil society leader and former cabinet minister. She is also a widely published scholar in the field of public healthcare systems and reform.
“Dr. Nishtar’s appointment, in fact, reflects the government’s commitment to achieve this policy objective by depoliticising BISP and providing it professional leadership,”
Statement issued by BISP.
Who is Dr Sania Nishtar?
Dr. Sania Nishtar is the internationally acclaimed Pakistani physician and public health expert. She currently co-chairs WHO’s High-Level Commission on Non-communicable diseases along with the president of Uruguay, Finland and Sri-Lanka.
She also chairs the U.S National Academy of Sciences initiative on the Quality of Healthcare in low and middle-income countries and also chairs the United Nations International Institute for Global Health’s Advisory Committee. She is a member of the International Advisory Board on Global Health of the federal government of Germany and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the future of healthcare.
Dr. Sania Nishtar is the founder and president of the NGO Heartfile in Pakistan and the founder of Heartfile Health Financing for which she received the global innovation award. She has previously served as a caretaker Federal Minister in the Interim Government of 2013.
