Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has demanded of the government to increase the budget in health care system up to six per cent of the GDP.
It also demanded for the strengthening of Basic Health Units, Rural Health Centres, and Taluka Hospitals by recruitment of midwife, nurse, paramedics, doctors and specialists on emergency basis.
PMA Secretary General Dr Shershah Syed, while presenting PMA's Annual Health Report here on Thursday demanded effective campaign against quackery and law to stop its propagation by electronic and print media. He also called for investment to provide clean drinking water to every citizen and development of scientific sewerage system in every part of the country including Azad Kashmir and Fata.
He demanded for strengthening of EPI programme and eradication of corruption to improve its activity, to complete transparency in all matters of health from recruitment of procurement and career structure for doctors in general and teaching cadre in public and private sector.
Dr Shershah while commenting over the health situation in the country, said that the government spending in health sector was only 0.6 per cent of its GDP resulting one doctor was available for 23,00 people while there was one specialist for 14,500 people. As many as 2400 BHUs, RHCs and THQ were un-functional, 320 hospital beds were available for 100,000 population and maternal mortality rate was 340 to 500 per 100,000.
He said there was no national screening programme for breast, cervical and prostate cancer. Clean water and sewerage system was not available to the majority of population and there was no effective programme against hepatitis C, HIV, smoking, 'gutka' and 'pan'.
He said the recent earthquake in northern areas of the country had shown the total vulnerable situation of healthcare in Pakistan. It could be said without any hesitation that Pakistan had no structure of primary health care and no capacity to deal with emergencies in situation like earthquake and other natural or man-made disasters. The overall health situation had not changed in Pakistan in last many years and the majority of population had no access to primary health care, emergency obstetric care or emergency health care throughout Pakistan.
He quoted the figures by international and national agencies that at least one third of the total population of 160 million was living below poverty level. "A big proportion of our population is unable to drink clean water or enjoy the facilities of sanitation," he said adding that water borne bacterial infection was one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. The under-five mortality rate remained high at 103 per 1,000 and infant mortality rate at an abeyance 80 per 1000.
He said that according to government figures more than 340 per 100,000 women die every year during pregnancy because of unavailability of emergency obstetrical care to the majority of women in Pakistan. More than 80 per cent women are delivered by traditional birth attendants - often in unhygienic and subhuman conditions all over the country.
He said that political leadership of federal and provincial governments had not shown any commitment or political will to address the real health issues in Pakistan. The health of the nation had become a matter of cheap slogans and corruption, more so with increased donor funding. It was noticeable that the government had failed to implement devolution in the health sector properly. The District governments were not able to provide relief to the patients because of tussle between the federal, provincial and district governments.
In Pakistan there is only one nurse against eight doctors and only one doctor for 1,900 people. More than 6,000 doctors in Punjab, 3,500 in Sindh and 2,000 in NWFP are unemployed and government has no policy for utilisation of these doctors. While majority of health units is without doctors, the provincial governments have adopted a policy to employ doctors on contract bypassing Public Service Commission, which is a cause for hardship for patients.
Dr Shershah said that provision of basic and emergency health facilities were the basic right of the citizens of the country. He emphasised for strengthening of BHUs so that the basic health facilities could be provided to the people.
He offered the government that PMA was ready to provide doctors for BHUs if government provided basic facilities, medicines and paramedical staff.
He said the PMA's Annual Health Report 2006 would be sent to all members of the National Assembly, Provincial Assemblies and Senate, all NGOs working in health sector and government officials so that they could know about the overall health situation in the country.
College of Family Physician Secretary Dr Aziz Khan Tank was also present of this occasion.