Daily Times

After a 10-day visit to Pakistan last year in May, World Health Organisation and International Health Regulations (IHR) delegation had issued a report titled Joint External Evaluation of IHR Core Capacities of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It identified shortcomings and proposed case-specific solutionsto enable Pakistan to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the IHR.

The report had noted that Pakistan’s inaction could result in trade and travel related restrictions. It was designed tohelp Pakistan develop a five-year roadmap to strengthen the public health system in line with the IHR. Lack of adequately funding and the need for better communication and coordination among various stakeholders, particularly in preventive healthcare sector, were among the major issues highlighted in the report.

The government was urged to evolve a national coordination and surveillance mechanism against infectious diseases. This could have ensured widespread availability of requisite medical data, allowing public health units across the country to efficiently deal with the needs of the general public.

One year later, Pakistan’s progress is sluggish and work underway is advancing at a snail’s pace.

The entire situation makes it appear like specialised international advisory organisations are more concerned with the public health sector in Pakistan than our own government — federal or provincial. Pakistan is far from meeting its IHR requirements. Our public health sector suffers from a severe human resource shortage.Even new doctors who serve in public hospitals become more involved in union activities because the government appears to be as inconsiderate of public health service providers as it is of the general public’s health requirements.

The condition of the public health sector has remained roughly the same before and after the 18th Amendment. Provincial governments often blame lack of resources when it comes to their ineffectiveness or inability in improving this public service.

This situation has given room to the private sector where healthcare is treated as a commodity rather than as a service. Access to good quality care becomes contingent upon ability to afford it and it is no secret that a vast majority of Pakistanis simply cannot easily afford private healthcare.

We have a long way to go before we can achieve a strong, sustainable, and viable public health system: but we must start working on it now and with a sense of purpose. State institutions ought to realise that even if it isn’t yet a constitutionally guaranteed right, access to good quality healthcare services determines citizens’ ability to exercise fundamental rights including the most basic right to life.  *

Published in Daily Times, September 19^th 2017.