LAHORE: Maryam, a 28-year-old lecturer suffering from endometriosis, continues to live in agony despite having the money and medical advice for treatment. A private hospital in Lahore refused her surgery, demanding the consent of her “non-existent husband”—a practice that highlights the systemic denial of healthcare autonomy for women in Pakistan.
Maryam’s case is not isolated. Across the country, women are frequently asked to provide male approval before receiving medical care, ranging from reproductive procedures to emergency surgeries.
According to the 2024 UN National Development Report, only 12 percent of women in Pakistan can independently decide on medical treatment, while nearly 42 percent reported that everyone in the household except the patient made the decision.
Experts warn this practice not only violates women’s rights but also has economic consequences. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates Pakistan loses 27 mothers and 675 newborns daily to preventable complications, amounting to nearly 246,000 newborn deaths, 190,000 stillbirths, and 10,000 maternal deaths annually.
Despite no national law requiring spousal consent, the absence of enforcement mechanisms allows hospitals to set arbitrary rules. Women’s healthcare is further strained by chronic underinvestment, with public health spending stuck at 1% of GDP for five years.
Healthcare workers say the shortage of female doctors—who make up less than half of registered practitioners—also deters many women from seeking timely treatment, especially in rural areas where purdah norms are strong.
Analysts argue that denying women healthcare autonomy undermines Pakistan’s ability to benefit from its demographic dividend. Female labor force participation remains among the lowest in South Asia at just 21%, with untreated health conditions forcing many women to drop out of employment.
Public health experts have called for a national protocol on women’s informed consent, higher investment in gender-sensitive healthcare, and retention of female doctors through workplace reforms.
They stress that the issue is not just about individual rights but about national development, warning that Pakistan cannot afford the cost of excluding half its population from basic healthcare decisions.