Geographically, South Punjab is located at the center of Pakistan and it plays a very vital role in the progress of the national economy by yielding various products in almost every sector. South Punjab consists of 11 districts situated in three divisions of Punjab i.e. Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan. The total area is 102,301 km2 (39,499 sq mi). The total population was 23.507 million (Census 2017) and the current population is around 36.698 million (LHW/MIS 2022) with an annual average growth rate of 2.37%.

But unfortunately, the South Punjab has poor health indicators and lags behind the rest of the province in maternal and child health, nutritional status, and prevalence and incidence of communicable diseases. The main objectives of establishing the South Punjab Health Secretariat are to address directly the health related issues of the residents of South Punjab as the health issues of the residents of South Punjab are different on the basis of terrain, culture, level of poverty, and low literacy and these can’t be addressed directly from the provincial level. More administrative units will improve the health outcomes of the South Punjab population. A separate dedicated regional team in the Health Department for South Punjab will result in effective service delivery in the public sector. And, the Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department will remove the issue of duplication of services and will help in using human and financial resources more precisely, prudently and effectively.