District governments need to create a system under which all healthcare facilities in their areas have required number of staff, mandatory provision for quality service complimented by accountability and transparency.
Professor Tipu Sultan, a senior healthcare provider in the country, suggested while presenting the Annual Report of Pakistan Medical Association for the year 2007. He also underscored need for equitable distribution of health resources, reversing the existent pyramid with a new one focussed on developing an efficient primary health care system.
It was mentioned that 90 percent of the masses acquire the needed assistance from primary health care facilities but shared a mere 15 per cent of allocated funds. Compared to 45 per centgranted to secondary health care services accessible to nine percent of the population and 40 per cent funds for tertiary care facilities available to one percent people.
Tipu Sultan mentioned that public sector comprised 10,000 health care centers and 800 hospitals while 70 per cent of rural population had access to a facility within five km distance, which were but ill equipped, understaffed and under-utilised.
Health facilities in both public and private sectors were mainly urban based and were devoid of any linkage with each other. 20,000 clinics, 800 hospitals and 600 clinics were identified to be functional in private sector often unregulated for quality and cost.
Private sector hospitals were said to have failed in developing a code of conduct compelling PMA to recommend a strong accountability system to combat unethical practices in both private and public healthcare facilities. In the country there is only one nurse against eight doctors and only one doctor per 2,300 people while little attention was extended towards quality training in these two fields along with any attention towards properly trained paramedics and midwives, that too inadequate numbers.