Everyone has a lot of complaints about the current healthcare system of Pakistan
Even rich people who can afford private care are not getting quality treatment
The public sector situation is even worse with multiple patients lying on the same bed and hospitals routinely running out of key medicines or critical medical equipment
Still, we may not be aware of the extent of the rot in the system
Every year we add 500,000 new tuberculosis cases, making Pakistan the 5th highest burden country
Around 12 million people are living with hepatitis B and C, making us the worst affected country in the Eastern Mediterranean region
More than 250,000 children die in their first 28 days of life, making Pakistan the riskiest country for young children
More children die in Pakistan than in Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Mali and Chad
Nearly two hundred mothers die out of every thousand giving birth — one of the highest maternal mortality rates in our region
In 2022, Pakistan reported more than 3
4 million malaria cases
Pakistan had the biggest outbreak of Extremely Drug Resistant (XDR) typhoid, affecting an estimated 40,000 in two cities alone
We had the largest outbreak of HIV in young children, which was not linked to mother to child transmission
Four children out of ten are stunted
This is not an isolated issue, but countries may lose 3% of their annual GDP because of these stunted kids
Individually they will have low cognitive development, leading to a loss in economic productivity
Just pause and think about it
We are witnessing our national demise in intellect by keeping our children hungry
We have a major problem with infectious diseases, but chronic diseases are killing us more
Neonatal disorders, ischaemic heart diseases and stroke are the main causes of premature deaths in Pakistan
Malnutrition, pollution, high systolic blood pressure and tobacco consumption are other major causes
The reasons are obvious
Pakistan is even behind Rwanda in its spending on healthcare and education — 164th out of 188
After corruption, whatever is left is consumed by salaries
After that, the remaining resources are used primarily for clinical services with less than 20% for preventive care
A low resource country can’t provide clinical services to 220 million people if it does not invest in preventing people from getting sick in the first place
Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes but certainly a way out of this quagmire
Here are my quick fixes
First, health should be discussed in the context of national security
A sick or unhealthy Pakistan including future generations with low IQs are a national security issue
Second, we can’t solve our health challenges until we fix our population challenge
Pakistan has a fertility rate of 3
4, which is highest in South Asia
Thirdly, we need to fix our drinking water and sanitation issues
Just by providing clean drinking water and reasonable sanitation, we could decrease more than 70% burden of infectious diseases
This is not a claim but based on pure science and historical data
Fourth, we must address malnourishment issues
Fifth, we can’t manage our health system without health intelligence
We need to have a representative and reliable disease surveillance system, which will not only tell us about impending epidemics or pandemics but also help us in effective resource utilisation
Sixth, we need to provide access to quality health care, especially to the poor
But this should not be at the cost of diverting government funds to enrich private hospitals and their owners
Seventh, we need to empower experienced health professionals to manage system
Right now, experienced professionals are sitting on the sidelines while “know it all” bureaucrats are running the show
There are many easy fixes available, but only the attention of decision makers is required
Improving the health system does not require setting up new hospitals
Instead, we need trained professionals who know how to plan and execute health interventions at a massive scale
We need the right person for the job
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2023
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| Date: | 14-Feb-2023 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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