Dr.MB RAJA DHAREJO

Dr. Muhammad Bakhsh (MB) “Raja” Dharejo is a distinguished Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officer, public health specialist, and medical doctor currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), PPHI Balochistan. With over 16 years of continuous service in the Government of Pakistan, he is widely recognized for his multidimensional leadership across health governance, digital transformation, disaster management, revenue reform, and district administration. His career blends medical science, public health expertise, and strategic public-sector leadership, making him one of the most versatile officers of his cadre.

Early Life, Education & Academic Excellence

Born on 12 May 1986 in Khairpur, Sindh, Dr. Dharejo is a proud Ravian and Old Iqbalian. He completed his MBBS from the University of Health Sciences Lahore @ Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore, securing three Gold Medals and four Silver Medals. Pursuing advanced qualifications, he earned a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) with Distinction from the University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. His international training includes certifications from the Royal Society for Public Health (UK), Faculty of Public Health (UK), PRINCE2 Project Management (AXELOS, UK), M&E Practice in World Bank Health Projects and advanced laparoscopic training from Nanfang Hospital, China. These credentials strengthened his capacity in epidemiology, health systems, policy analysis, and evidence-based governance.

Professional Identity & Service Philosophy

Dr. Dharejo’s leadership philosophy is grounded in transparency, institutional strengthening, and citizen-centered governance. His unique blend of clinical knowledge, public health training, and administrative command equips him to design and implement reforms that are technically sound, sustainable, and impactful at scale. His work reflects a commitment to equitable service delivery, digital public-sector transformation, and resilient governance—especially for underserved populations.

Career Journey Across Pakistan’s Public Sector

Throughout his 16-year career, Dr. Dharejo has held key positions across provincial departments and field administrations. As Assistant Commissioner in multiple districts like Larkana, Khairpur & Shikarpur, he built a strong foundation in land administration, law and order, municipal regulation, and public service delivery. His experience expanded through pivotal secretariat assignments including Additional Secretary Health, Deputy Secretary CM Secretariat, and Additional Secretary Home.

He later assumed technical leadership roles as Director General Rural Development Department and Director Public–Private Partnership Unit (Finance Department), where he introduced cost-benefit frameworks, strengthened institutional governance, and supervised multisector development initiatives. As Secretary Board of Revenue Sindh (2023–2024), he delivered the province’s most comprehensive digital governance reforms—including e-Services Sindh, e-Registration, e-Mutation, and e-Pay Sindh—dramatically improving public access, transparency, and service efficiency.

As Deputy Commissioner Karachi Central, Korangi, Umerkot, and Sukkur, he led complex district-level governance interventions involving public order, disaster management, urban services, education reforms, and municipal transformation. His district leadership is characterized by rapid problem-solving, real-time coordination, and people-centric service delivery.

Contributions to Health Systems & Public Health

A defining area of Dr. Dharejo’s career is his contribution to public health reform. His impact includes the province-wide institutionalization of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), expansion of maternal–child health services, integration of seven vertical health programs into a unified PHC system, and rollout of digital vaccination and clinical MIS platforms. As Provincial Focal Person for COVID-19, he led crucial components of Sindh’s pandemic response—including testing expansion, hotspot surveillance, analytics dashboards, SOP development, telemedicine follow-up, and inter-agency coordination. His leadership earned him recommendation for the Civil Award Hilal-e-Imtiaz.

Governance, Digital Transformation & Policy Reform

Dr. Dharejo is recognized nationally for driving large-scale digital reforms. His portfolio includes modernizing land governance through online service delivery, automated monitoring dashboards, and digitization of revenue processes. He authored landmark policy instruments—including Colonization Rules 2024, Land Allotment Policies, and amendments in revenue governance frameworks—ensuring legal clarity, accountability, and modernized public service mechanisms.

Disaster Response, Crisis Leadership & Humanitarian Management

As DC Umerkot, he led one of the most structured and transparent district disaster responses during the 2022 monsoon floods. His administration established the largest tent city in the region, digitized relief distribution, rehabilitated displaced families, restored health facilities, retrieved state land from illegal occupation, and revived essential public services. His model of digital disaster governance is widely acknowledged as a template for future district-level resilience planning.

Urban Governance, Education Reform & Municipal Management

His urban governance contributions include restoring 133 public parks in Karachi Central, launching e-municipal taxation, initiating the Safe City Project for Sukkur, Rohri and Pano Aqil, implementing Cattle-Free Cities Action Plans, and reopening 110 closed schools across Sukkur through teacher rationalization and community engagement. His leadership has consistently prioritized public accessibility, safety, and welfare.

Research, Knowledge Contributions & Thought Leadership

Dr. Dharejo’s academic contributions include research on postpartum haemorrhage, heatwave preparedness frameworks, epidemiological surveys, measles outbreak analysis, water and sanitation assessments, and COVID-19 genomic studies in collaboration with Aga Khan University. His research emphasizes the intersection of public health, climate resilience, and evidence-based policymaking.

Current Role: CEO PPHI Balochistan

Since 2025, as CEO PPHI Balochistan, he leads the province’s largest primary healthcare network across 33 districts. His priorities include digital health expansion, HR modernization, maternal–neonatal service enhancement, standardization of PHC delivery, robust monitoring and evaluation, and integration of community-linked healthcare models. His leadership aims to deliver accessible, equitable, and high-quality healthcare to the most remote regions of Pakistan.

Dr. MB Raja Dharejo’s career reflects a rare combination of public health expertise, administrative excellence, crisis leadership, and visionary public-sector reform. His contributions continue to shape provincial governance models, strengthen institutional systems, and improve service delivery outcomes across Pakistan—positioning him as one of the most dynamic reform-driven officers in the Pakistan Administrative Service.