The healthcare system of Pakistan is an issue that has been under the radar for many years. The affordability of healthcare is another burning issue.

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Lack of affordable healthcare

Under various International Acts, it is the right of every citizen to have access to proper, affordable and quality healthcare. In Pakistan, the health sector still gets less than the desirable share from government funding. Also, there is a lack of a national health insurance system. Hence, dragging the right of access to ‘affordable healthcare’ far away in the future. Here public health spending still has to face disorganization. This is mainly due to the feebleness in the management system. It also contributes to the difficult access to an affordable medical facility.

Challenges in healthcare

In this difficult COVID era, Pakistan is going through financial and political challenges. Citizens face an imbalance in the procurement of resources consistent with their needs, which greatly impacts healthcare affordability. There is a lack of space and resources in public hospitals and insufficient capacity for healthcare facilities. Especially during times of pandemic, the government is witnessing trouble to combat it. Private healthcare facilities took this as an opportunity. They have turned their unregulated services expensive. Middle and lower class citizens who are hunting for their lives and well-being are facing tough times. Secondary and tertiary care, which are more expensive than primary care, has become the only available facility in most hospitals in Pakistan. It has masked the need and importance of primary care.

Insufficient funding

In this recent unpredictable time, there is rapid progress in pharmaceutical production and medical and health technologies. However, this rapid progress is making impossible cures possible. Also, it is letting the prices of vital procedures and general care go higher in hospitals. In countries like Pakistan, there is a lack of sufficient funding and resources to conduct in-house research and produce advanced technologies.

Need to change the perception

Despite all these challenges, the dilemma of obtaining ‘affordable healthcare’ will surely end if the thought of needing capital to get health is changed to vice versa by the concerned authorities.