The Health development activities in Pakistan are in sharp contrast to other countries having similar level of economic development and per capita income, Economic Survey 2008-09 says. These concerns are overdue and require an urgent attention.
In Pakistan, despite a good progress over the years, people are still suffering from various health problems like limited access to heath facilities, wide spread malnutrition, poverty and poor living conditions. It says the most immediate health problems of the country are: inadequate sanitation facilities, unsafe water, poor living conditions, poverty and low literacy rate, with women being the worse affectees, whose lack of knowledge often render them and their children vulnerable to various diseases.
Malnutrition is a major public health problem that disproportionately affects women, girls and infants. The un-timely deaths or disability from high prevalence of communicable diseases, which could easily be prevented and treated, adversely affect the working capability of an average household.
The incidence of newer diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS reveal a striking un-met requirements, for which appropriate policy response and institutional changes are required to bring an accelerated development and better health management.
Pakistan requires progress in economic and policy sector to reduce the burden of diseases, not simply in healthcare but much have to be done in agriculture, education, transportation, environment, public health sectors and other relevant areas in order to improve the nation's overall health.
The govt in line with global recommendations and the United Nations mandate is committed to attain the health related millennium development goals (MDGs) on child mortality, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, T.B and malaria. The MDGs agenda of reforms have already been adopted as a framework of development activities to reduce poverty, hunger and to tackle the problems of ill health through investing in health care, education, diseases prevention, coverage and quality of life by the year 2015.
In light of these considerations, a number of measures are underway to achieve Pakistan's health sector goals and to bring a visible change in health status of the country. Various health programmes like children development programme, nutrition, immunisation, T.B and Malaria control etc are being implemented with objectives to ensure sustainable development in health, nutrition and family planning etc.
Consequently, immunisation coverage has been increased and the country's focus on producing more doctors have led to marked improvement. During the year under review, emphases was laid on the provision of primary health care, better utilisation of the existing health facilities and continuing the programme of nutrition and preventable disease. However, the infant mortality rate is still high and remained at 73 per 1,000 live birth.
The present government has taken several policy initiatives to fulfil its commitment to meet the needs of healthcare needs of the people. This has necessitated reformulating a new national health policy with the vision to provide efficient, equitable and quality health care at the door steps of the people. The Health Policy 2009 is focused on preventive programmes, targeting poor and disadvantaged groups of communities.