Message from the Director
The Health Services Academy (HSA) is an autonomous institution under the
Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan since July 2003. It was
established as an in-service training centre in 1988 and developed into an
institute of training and research in public health. Since its inception, the
Academy has been striving to fulfil the health needs and new emerging
paradigms under Public Health Sciences. HSA launched its Master’s in Public
Health (MPH) programme in 1996 with a view to utilize and develop local
expertise to train the future health managers of Pakistan. Up until now, 188
students have completed their MPH degree. The Academy has been
successful in achieving many of the institutional objectives as planned. This
report briefly summarises the main activities and achievements realised by
HSA from July 2005 to June 2006.
The modification of the existing Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree into a Master of Science in Public
Health (MSPH) programme was a major step that HSA took to bring the programme in line with the
national and international standards. The formulation of the Financial, Academic and Service Rules and
Regulations was another area of accomplishments. Research has been given a high priority in HSA and
faculty/students have conducted applied research in different areas of Public Health and will continue to
do so at a greater length in future.
The Academy’s need for a permanent campus of its own is finally realized. In April 2006, the Academy
moved to the new campus near the National Institute of Health (NIH), Chak Shahzad, Islamabad. The
construction of the teaching block, as well as accommodation facilities for students, is still going on.
The Academy’s special thanks goes to the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for its
continued support through its implementing agency, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), which has
played a vital role in the development of the Academy. With their continuous support and technical
assistance HSA aspires to become a regional centre of excellence in public health sciences.
In addition to GTZ, the Academy would also like to thank the other contributors for their assistance,
especially the WHO, the Gates Institute, DFID, UNFPA, Population Council and Save the Children Fund
(USA) in many forms ranging from technical inputs, student stipends, research funds, and jointly
organised workshops to provision of equipment and library books.
