ISLAMABAD   -  President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday emphasised the need for developing a centralised national database on all diseases. He said that Pakistan currently lacked a comprehensive centralised database on health issues and he highlighted the need to make integrated data availability which would help the government to effectively combat the diseases. The President made these remarks while chairing a meeting regarding data collection on Breast Cancer in Pakistan, a press release issued by the President’s Media Office here said. Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC), Dr Faisal Sultan, and MD Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Aon Abbas Buppi also attended the meeting.

 The President said that Pakistan had the highest prevalence of breast cancer, as compared to other South Asian countries, and he underscored the need to raise awareness among the people about the disease.