Health facilities in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) will now follow strengthened standards designed to protect healthcare workers and improve patient care, following the launch of the revised Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) by the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Introduced under the ILO-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -World Health Organization (WHO) Working for Health Programme, the updated MSDS were developed by the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority with ILO support. They align with key international labour standards, including ILO Conventions No. 155, 187, and 190, and provide hospitals with practical guidance to enhance workplace safety, quality of care, and overall working conditions-serving as a model for nationwide reforms.
The MSDS serve as the regulatory benchmark for healthcare facilities in Islamabad. The revised standards introduce systematic risk assessments, protections against violence and harassment-especially for female staff-better working conditions to retain skilled health workers, and improved patient care. Initially rolled out in ICT, they will guide immediate reforms in hospitals and clinics, with plans to replicate the model in Punjab to advance safer, fairer healthcare across Pakistan.
The event brought together senior government officials, IHRA Board of Authority, representatives from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development, the Health Services Academy, and management teams from leading hospitals across ICT.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, said "Infection prevention and control-tackling hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance-must be top priorities. The Ministry will stand squarely behind IHRA to register and license facilities, end unsafe practices, and make Islamabad a model healthy city for all."
Geir Tonstol, Country Director for ILO Pakistan stressed that occupational safety and health is a fundamental right at work. "With the revised MSDS, we are placing workplace safety, dignity, and social dialogue at the heart of health service delivery-because a healthcare system can only thrive when it protects both its patients and its workers."
IHRA Chairman Dr. Muhammad Riaz Shahbaz Janjua reaffirmed the shift from a policing role to a facilitation approach, engaging stakeholders throughout the revision process. "Regulation is about partnership, facilitation, and building a health system where standards are credible, reliable, and fair for all."
Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, Dean and Vice Chancellor of the Health Services Academy, commended IHRA and ILO's collaboration in revising the MSDS and demystifying its purpose for healthcare professionals. "The revised MSDS is a vital step towards integrating standards across primary, secondary, and tertiary care, reducing system delays, and ensuring that health workers can deliver quality care and patients receive timely and safe treatment."
Government ministries, IHRA, and the ILO concluded with a joint commitment to roll out the standards, with IHRA overseeing compliance and the ILO continuing to provide technical assistance, capacity building, and awareness raising.
