Corruption hinders big diseases' eradication: speakers

Speakers on Saturday held the rising corruption as a primary factor behind the insurability of major diseases amongst people particularly polio saying that fiscal budget allocation for healthcare is unjustified.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day "Conference 2008" being organised by the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) at a local hotel, they linked the improvement in the basic healthcare with the change in the system of governance.
They said that the gap between the poor and rich is widening at a threatening level in the country, while the affluent section of the society first make huge borrowings from banks and later cleverly write them off, has weakened the country financially. Healthcare spending from the government is nominal they said, adding that in the absence of health policy, Pakistan has become one of the four countries in the world, which have failed to eradicate polio.
Healthcare annual spending is 0.67 percent of the GDP, whereas in the developed countries it is some four percent, they said, adding that Pakistan spends 4 dollar and the developed world 34 dollar in this sector. In Pakistan, spending in the primary healthcare is the least whereas in the developed world it is the maximum, while half of the budget in the country is ineffectively utilised for the wrongly administrative policies, they added.
They pointed out that lack of professionals in the healthcare sector, absence of the hospital staff, inadequate opportunity for aspirants and inappropriate locations of hospitals are also the major reasons have created problems for common men. They criticised the government for not spending money for the development of this sector.
They said that 10 percent rich people pay 12 percent taxes, while 10 percent poor people pay 16 percent taxes to the government, which is widening the gap between rich and poor persistently. Speakers were former City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, prominent economist Qaisar Bengali, representative of the Punjab Government Dr Fayaz Ranjha, Director General Healthcare Government of Pakistan Professor Rasheed Juma, Director Safe Children Dr Amanullah Khan and head of Indus Hospital Dr Abdul Hadi Khan.