Healthcare system in Pakistan

The World Health Organization ranks Pakistan 122 out of 190 nations in terms of health care. When it comes to infant mortality, Pakistan ranks third in the world. Being a developing country, it is suffering in several disciplines, including biomedicine. The Pakistani government has never made health care a priority. Since 1985, there hasn’t been a significant establishment in the public health sector, although the population has nearly tripled. More than 60 million people live in poverty and are unable to meet their basic necessities owing to a lack of resources/finance. Local hospitals help poor people for free, but they cannot accommodate all of Pakistan’s underprivileged population. People in rural communities are unaware of ailments and hence don’t really seek adequate care. The major cause of illness spread among the poor is a lack of knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment options. Pakistan’s major public health issues include:
The COVID-19 pandemic’s relentlessly demanding requirements started the development of the contemporary healthcare environment. Increases in patient flow, a lack of available staff, and the need for frequently changing procedures all combined to spur change at all levels. Further complicating factors include huge tech advancements and governmental laws.
What are Pakistan’s Health Sector’s Biggest Challenges?
It is hard to ignore the progress made in the health sector since Pakistan gained its freedom. The Pakistani healthcare system is currently dealing with several problems and complications. The health industry in Pakistan is facing the following significant challenges:
The majority of people are unlikely to use the public health system’s healthcare services due to the poor infrastructure of the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs), and as a result, rural people are routed to tertiary care institutions. The distance between healthcare facilities, as well as a lack of transportation choices due to poor road conditions, limit their access to these services. Furthermore, the public sector in Pakistan has been determined to be neglected due to a lack of human resources, a lack of health education, a lack of openness, and barriers related to language and cultural differences. Attending BHUs is a nightmare for many people due to the aforementioned reasons.
One of the factors contributing to Pakistan’s failing healthcare system is a lack of adequate infrastructure. This department lacks effective policy development and planning. As a result, residents have access to insufficient healthcare facilities. A typical government hospital does not have enough physicians, nurses, and employees. Such hospitals are typically congested since they serve a large population in the surrounding region. There aren’t enough beds (due to an overabundance of patients).
Hospitals are unclean and unhygienic, they lack security, patient care is unheard of, medications and consumables are frequently in short supply, workers may be dishonest and demand bribes from patients, and they may even lack vital utilities like a constant supply of water, power, and fuel. Their ambulances may be unavailable due to malfunctions or corruption, forcing patients to fend for themselves.
Political and higher-level corruption is one of the causes of Pakistan’s inadequate healthcare system. Corruption has made resources at hospitals and other healthcare facilities inaccessible.
People are obliged to seek treatment from private healthcare providers when public health systems fail. The purpose of private healthcare institutions is profit. There is an apparent demand-supply imbalance, and they take advantage of the limited supply to enhance their own pricing. As a result, medical care at a private hospital may be much more expensive than treatment in a public hospital. However, because a large proportion of our population lacks health insurance, they must pay for their own care. As a result, many people cannot afford health care.
Although Pakistan has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries, many drugs must be imported from other nations. Similarly, many surgical and other medical equipment is imported from foreign nations. As a result, more funding is required to meet the demand for these imported items. However, due to a lack of resources and increasing economic pressures, Pakistan’s health sector is unable to satisfy the demand for these items, which are essential for residents’ fundamental requirements. The same is true for medicines imported from other nations.
Urban residents have greater privileges and access to more basic medical facilities. Similarly, they are highly informed about health concerns. However, the situation in rural regions is rather different. People in rural locations are often unaware of immunizations, treatments, precautions, and preventions for a variety of health conditions. This puts further strain on Pakistan’s healthcare system. As a result, it is critical to begin educating rural residents and assisting them in obtaining basic health care.
Even though a large number of students graduate each year, there is still a shortage of educated and professional workers in Pakistan’s health industry. The biggest cause is a lack of seats in the public sector, which makes it difficult for educated individuals to come and serve the country.
Another factor for the scarcity of trained health professionals in Pakistan is that many health professionals study and work in other countries. This is a significant loss for Pakistan’s health industry.
How Can Pakistan’s Health Sector Be Improved?
There was no tipping point in Pakistan; rather, the administration recognized that the country’s health system had deteriorated. Comparisons with neighboring nations like as Afghanistan and the Indian Punjab bring the problem into stark perspective.
The primary goal of enhancing Pakistan’s healthcare industry is to increase life quality and lower the public mortality rate.
To establish a better health sector in Pakistan, the Pakistani government and private sectors should focus on following topics:
• Encouraging medical device innovation and manufacture in Pakistan
• Increased funding for medical research
• Upskilling current employees and improving medical, nursing, and technical education
• Health-care coverage provided by the government
• Public awareness campaigns
• To combat corruption, hospitals and other health departments must be checked and balanced
• International collaborations are also possible
Conclusion: Pakistan is confronted with several economic and political issues. And, even after 74 years of independence, Pakistan’s health sector remains deplorable, with several difficulties ahead. Pakistan faces several obstacles, ranging from corruption to a dearth of well-educated manpower. It is high time to create improved health policies and begin producing medical gadgets in the country. (The author, with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Mehran University is serving as Assistant Manager of Quality at Alsons Technology Pvt. Ltd.)