KARACHI: Due to poor preventive, deteriorating healthcare delivery system and ignorance by the authorities at the primary level, Pakistan may miss the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) warned Friday.
United Nation has set new targets with the name of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Pakistan has to achieve these goals in the next 10 years, it said.
PMA leaders including Professor M Ashraf Nizami, President PMA Centre, Dr S M Qaisar Sajjad, Secretary General PMA Centre and Dr Ahmed Bhimani, General Secretary PMA Karachi expressed this while addressing the press conference held on Friday at PMA House regarding the “Deterioration of healthcare system in Pakistan.”
In case we still do not pay attention towards our Health Delivery System then it’s a possibility that we may not meet the SDGs. We must remember that we have remained far away from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to which Pakistan happens to be one of the signatories,they said.
“Pakistan carries a heavy burden of diseases because of the poor preventive as well as healthcare delivery system at the primary level which is due to lack of awareness and ignorance about the diseases,” said Professor M Ashraf Nizami, President PMA Centre. Most diseases are preventable through vaccination /immunization or by way of simple awareness and the provision of some very basic facilities by the government,he added.
According to World Health Organization recommendations, the health budget of any country should be at least be 6 per cent of the national GDP.
“In our case, the health budget, has remained less than 1%, despite repeated PMA pleas and reminders to the government out of which 80% is spent on salaries and administrative costs. Of the 20% that is the share of the poor masses, corruption eats up a major chunk, leaving a terribly negligible amount for the poor patients,” Professor Nizami added.
PMA leaders said health and education were not priority areas of our governments. For the last many, many years, the health indicators have failed to show any positive trend. In fact, in some of the areas things have gone from bad to worse.
PMA demanded to increase 6 per cent of the total GDP for Healthcare System in Pakistan in next coming budget with proper allocation and utilization of fund. Government should allocate more budget for the prevention of diseases
in Pakistan.
“Strengthening of EPI Program and its proper implementation is necessary particularly for the Polio diseases eradication from the country,” Dr S M Qaisar opined.
According to him, steps should be taken to provide clean water to every citizen of country and development of scientific sewerage system in every part of Pakistan.
Besides that further steps should be taken to eliminate the mosquitoes to prevent mosquito born diseases like Malaria and Dengue. Prevention of oral cancer could be done through by banning import of Chalia in the country.
PMA demands the Healthcare Commission Bill to be implemented in all Provinces as it has been passed by t Punjab and Sindh. In this connection it also demanded an early implementation of Health Care Commission Bill in Sindh.
“Strengthening of Basic Health Units, Rural Health Centers, Taluka Hospitals by recruitment of doctors and specialists, nurse, midwives, paramedics on emergency basis. Investment in primary care to provide basic health care to poor population livening in rural area,” Dr S M Qaisar added.