Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Page 2 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
PAKISTAN’S HEALTH CHALLENGES AND GOVERNMENT’S ROLE
Health is an important sector in human life. In Pakistan, attempts have been made to improve
the health conditions of the people through availability of trained personnel, adequate supply
of medicines and establishment of health services. Yet the health care system as a whole is not
encouraging. The main health problems are preventable communicable diseases, severe
malnutrition and high incident of birth resulting of high proportion of infant and maternal
mortality. There are also clear differentials in health conditions by rural and urban areas and
socio-economic groups. Malaria, Tuberculosis and wide variety of childhood diseases such as
diarrhea, measles and tetanus etc. still continue to pose potential threat to the health of
millions of people in the country. Unsanitary condition, polluted water and illiteracy among
rural mother, urban slum and high fertility, small budgetary allocation and inadequate
administrative structure have been identified as the main hurdles in the progress of health
conditions.
Pakistan has a high fertility rate with 4.2 million new births annually. This rapid population
growth will further strain an already overstretched and underperforming health care services
delivery system, including deliveries by skilled birth attendants. Efforts made over the years to
improve health standards have been partially neutralized by the rapid growth of the
population. In addition, gender bias and limited access to health services further compromise
health of Pakistanis.
Page 3 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Sub-optimal performance of the health sector in Pakistan is primarily because of low level of
health spending. Total expenditure on health as percent of GDP is only about 2 percent of GDP,
which is much lower than other countries with similar income levels.
The government contributes about a third of this and the remaining 70 percent is paid out-of-
pocket by citizens at the points of service delivery.
Pakistan faces numerous problems in the health section which are discussed herein.
Cleanliness / Hygiene
About 80% of all major diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis are due to unsafe
drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Health and hygiene are causing major
disruptions in the lives of people of Pakistan.
Outside the houses, you will see the reckless disposal of wastage.
Just outside the boundary wall of house, there will be the waste of
that or other houses in the street. The streets are littered with
garbage, which include papers, polythene bags, stale meals, dung,
debris and other weird things. People habitually throw things in
street after cleaning their houses.
Commuters throw wrappers and other things from the vehicles while traveling. Picnic spots and
parks have converted into a heap of dung. You will commonly see people urinating on the
sidewalks. There are many roads and streets which are suffering from the disorder of sewerage
system.
Cleanliness has been declared as an element which comprises the half part of faith of Muslims.
Ironically, more than 98% of Pakistanis are Muslims.
Page 4 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Water Pollution
Per capita water availability in Pakistan has decreased from 5,000 cubic meters per annum in
1951 to 1,100. The principal source of drinking water for the majority of people in Pakistan is
groundwater. About 80% of the Punjab has fresh groundwater, but in Sindh, less than 30% of
groundwater is fresh. In NWFP, increasing abstraction has resulted in wells now reaching into
saline layers, and much of Balochistan has saline groundwater.
As per Government figures, the Punjab has the best rural water supply amongst the provinces.
It is stated that only 7 % of the rural population depends on a dug well or a river, canal or
stream. In Sindh, some 24% of the rural population depends on these sources. The rural water
supply situation in NWFP and Balochistan is worse; about 46% and 72% respectively of the rural
population depend on water from a dug well or from a river/canal/stream.
Unchecked use of hazardous chemicals, vehicle emissions, and industrial activity has
contributed to a number of environmental and health hazards, chief among them being water
pollution. Much of the country suffers from a lack of potable water due to industrial waste and
agricultural runoff that contaminates drinking water supplies.
There is very little separation of municipal wastewater from industrial effluent in Pakistan. Both
flow directly into open drains, which then flow into nearby natural water bodies. There is no
regular monitoring programme to assess the water quality of the surface and groundwater
bodies. There is no surface water quality standard or drinking water quality standard in
Pakistan.
It is estimated that 40 million residents depend on irrigation water for their domestic use,
especially in areas where the groundwater is brackish. The associated health risks are grave, as
bacteriological contamination of irrigation water often exceeds WHO limits even for irrigation.
Page 5 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Major industrial contributors to water pollution in Pakistan are the petrochemicals, paper and
pulp, food processing, tanneries, refineries, textile and sugar industries. Only a marginal
number of industries conduct environmental assessments (about 5 % of national industries).
The sugarcane based industry, the 2nd largest in the country, is a major cause of industrial
water pollution.
The problem of industrial water pollution has remained uncontrolled because there have been
little or no incentives for industry to treat their effluents.
The salinity level of groundwater is increasing. Industrial
wastewater including toxic chemicals, organic matter and
heavy metals is discharged directly into public sewers
without prior treatment. There is reported leaching of
wastes into groundwater, causing outbreaks of water-borne
dis eases. At present, irrigation uses about 93% of the water
currently utilized in Pakistan.
The links between water quality and health risks are well established. An estimated 250,000
child deaths occur each year in Pakistan due to water-borne diseases. Apart from the human
losses, these diseases are responsible for substantial economic losses.
Medical Conditions
Human Resource in health care is not appropriately planned in Pakistan, with the result that
there are more doctors than nurses, lack of trained midwives, urban concentration, brain drain
from rural to urban areas and abroad, along with other issues related to curriculum, quality of
graduates and their continuing supervision. The service structure for health workers is poorly
defined. It favors tenure over competence, largely ignores technical capacities and does not
allow incentives or rewards for performance.
There is absence of doctors in government hospitals and clinics and medical staff only comes to
mark their attendance and go away and are not available at the time of need or emergency.
Page 6 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
inscribed with misleading claims and through wall chalking in commercial and residential
localities across the country. Many of these quacks are rapists and lure naïve patients towards
them with the intention of raping them.
Unhygienic conditions and use of unsterilized equipment by quacks sitting at different localities
are spreading a number of diseases including cancer, hepatitis B and C, and AIDS. A number of
quacks are doing business unchecked while the main cause for spread of these diseases is
dental treatment.
HIV/AIDS spreads through unscreened blood transfusion, reuse of used synergies and unsafe
sexual behavior. The disease also spread through use of used razors and needles mainly
amongst drug addicts. There is a dire need to create awareness among people, of the disease
for their protection.
Page 7 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Women Health
Ours is a male dominant society where only very few females enjoy
full rights and have access to opportunities of even very basic
human needs. This is even more true in the health sector, where
unfortunately there is a great lack of female doctors combined with
a large number of female 'quacks' in the country and the situation is
at its worst in some rural areas where there is only one or two
qualified female doctors. The female doctors are neither easily available nor easily affordable
and women do not prefer to be examined by male doctors.
There are a lot of government hospitals which provide free or low fee treatment to women but
those are not preferred because of:
Women in rural Pakistan have lesser access to health care than men, because of absence of
female doctors. Factors like lack of awareness regarding women’s health requirements, low
literacy ratio, low social status and civil constrains on females are responsible for women’s
below standard health.
The maternal mortality rate is high, as only 20 percent of women are assisted by a trained
provider during delivery.
In rural areas, women are unaware of contraceptives, thus sexually transmitted diseases and
bad health in women are common. They are at a risk of contracting HIV-AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) because of male dominance in sex relations and lack of access to
information. In these areas, women are like slaves subject to drudgery. They are there just to
obey their fathers, brothers and husbands. They do not have the right to decide about
themselves because women are considered as foolish creatures according to the dominant
social and cultural norms. Likewise marriage is also a sort of trade between different families
Page 8 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
both in the rural and urban areas. They are highly vulnerable to violation of their rights to life.
Many women lose their lives in the name of honor killings.
There is a direct link between the health statuses of women and women’s low societal standing
in Pakistan. For instance, the maternal mortality rate in rural Balochistan is 800 maternal deaths
to 100,000 live births. This ratio in the end adversely strikes at the health of her children as well
as national economy. Not only can these but evident differences among health status of women
and men are visible in Pakistani polity. The poor women’s health is as much a social plight as
much it is medically.
Factors like lack of awareness regarding women’s health requirements, low literacy ratio, low
social status and civil constrains on females are responsible for women’s below standard health
in Pakistan. Men and women both are poorly educated about family planning consequently
affecting the health of mother and child. Perhaps the greatest loss to the family and economy
of a country as one need to comprehend that woman is the glory of all that is created.
From an Islamic perspective health is viewed as one of the greatest blessings that God has
bestowed on mankind. It should be noted that the greatest blessing after belief is health, as
narrated in the following Hadith:
The final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) mounted the pulpit, then wept and
said, "Ask Allah (swt) for forgiveness and health, for after being granted certainty, one is given
nothing better than health."
Related in Tirmidhi
Islam emphasizes on not taking health for granted. God has entrusted us with our bodies for a
predestined period of time. He will hold us to account on how we looked after and utilized our
bodies and good health.
Page 9 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
more than 14 centuries ago. Furthermore, the Quran and the Sunnah outline the teachings that
show every Muslim how to protect his health and live life in a state of purity. Numerous
examples in Islam instruct its followers to live a healthy life by performing actions such as:
Daily Prayer
Ablution / Ghusal
Fasting
Prohibition of intoxicants
Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in both its physical and spiritual aspects. On the
physical side, Islam requires the Muslim to clean his body, his clothes, his house, and the whole
community, and he is rewarded by God for doing so. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, for
example:
"Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be rewarded by Allah)." [Bukhari]
While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it
an indispensible fundamental of the faith. A Muslim is required to be pure morally and
spiritually as well as physically. Through the Qur'an and Sunnah Islam requires the sincere
believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life.
"Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure
and clean." [2: 22]
In Islam the Arabic term for purity is Taharah. Books of Islamic jurisprudence often contain an
entire chapter with Taharah as a heading.
Page 10 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
The Qur'an insists that the believer maintain a constant state of purity:
"Believers! When you prepare for prayer wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the
elbows; rub your heads (with water) and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are ritually
impure bathe your whole body." [5: 6]
Ritual impurity refers to that resulting from menstrual release, menstruation and the first forty
days after childbirth. Muslims also use water, not paper or anything else to after eliminating
body wastes.
Prophet Muhammad advised the Muslims to appear neat and tidy in private and in public. Once
when returning home from battle he advised his army:
"You are soon going to meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and clothes. Be distinguished in
the eyes of the people." [Abu Dawud]
"Had I not been afraid of overburdening my community, I would have ordered them to brush
their teeth for every prayer." [Bukhari]
Page 11 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Health
Indicators and Targets
Page 12 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• The health expenditures have increased to 74 billion rupees in recent years however it has
not increased in terms of % of GDP, the WHO recommended % of GDP on health is atleast
2%
Page 13 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• The following table shows the exact layout of health expenditure in Pakistan
• The annual per capita health expenditure is about 19 USD out of which 6.5 USD are spent by
the Government of Pakistan channels and the rest of 65% is out of pocket expense.
• In developed countries the total health expenses are much higher e.g. UK has more than
2000 USD Total Health Expenditure (THE).
Page 14 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
3%
28%
Tax
Donors
Out of pocket
5%
Others
65%
• We can see from above pie chart that the proportion of out of pocket expenses is high
considering the poverty levels in Pakistan and the presence of an unregulated private
sector.
Page 15 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• This is low as compared to other countries in the region and is variable depending on
political environment.
• In order to achieve Millennium Development Goals targets. not only the Government
spending should increase but it should also be complimented by international community.
Page 16 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• Pakistan has about 134,000 registered doctors and, 65,000 registered nurses with one bed
for about 1500 of population.
• There are about 5000 basic health units and rural health centers in the Government sector
spread all over the country.
• The private sector has a larger presence in urban communities and exact figures are not
available.
Page 17 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• Diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia, TB and Malaria are further compounded by malnutrition
(about 45% of children and 50% of women are effected) leading to more than 50% share in
mortality.
• In non communicable diseases heart conditions, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and injuries
are important diseases.
Page 18 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
• Polio is still present in Pakistan and efforts are being made to eradicate polio.
Source: WHO
Page 19 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
The table below shows the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per
1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and
female.
Page 20 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Under health Affairs and Services a total allocation of Rs 6484 million has been made in the
budget 2009-10. This allocation is higher by 18% when compared with budget of 2008-09.
Details are given in the following Table:
R & D Health 2 2
Hospitals: 965
Dispensaries: 4,916
TB Centers: 371
Page 21 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
First Aid Points: 1,080
Doctors: 107,835
Dentists: 7446
Nurses: 43,646
Midwives: 2,788
Page 22 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Per Capita Water Availability (2009 stats)
1951 34 5300
1961 46 3950
1971 65 2700
1981 84 2100
1991 115 1600
2000 148 1200
2010 207 850
2025 267 659
It is observed that the expanding imbalance between supply and demand has not only led to
water shortages but also initiated an unhealthy competition amongst end users, which is
ultimately causing environmental degradation in the form of persistent increase in water
logging in certain areas, decline of groundwater levels in other areas, intrusion of saline water
into fresh groundwater reservoirs, etc.
Page 23 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Domestic waste containing household effluent and human waste is either discharged directly to
a sewer system, a natural drain or water body, a nearby field or an internal septic tank. It is
estimated that only some 8% of urban wastewater is treated in municipal treatment plants. The
treated wastewater generally flows into open drains, and there are no provisions for reuse of
the treated wastewater for agriculture or other municipal uses. Table below shows ten large
urban centers of the country, which produce more than 60% of the total urban wastewater
including household, industrial and commercial wastewater.
Page 24 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Sheikhupura 870,110 15 0.7 - SCARP drains
Multan 1,197,384 66 2.9 - River Chenab,
irrigation
canals
and vegetable
farms
Sialkot 713,552 19 0.8 - River Ravi,
irrigation
canals
and vegetable
farms
Karachi 9,339,023 604 26.3 15.9 Arabian Sea
Hyderabad 1,166,894 51 2.2 34.0 River Indus,
irrigation
canals
and SCARP
drains
Peshawar 982,816 52 2.3 36.2 Kabul River
Other 19,475,588 967 41.8 0.7 -
Total Urban 43,440,000 2,301 100.0 7.7 -
Source: Master Plan for Urban Wastewater (Municipal and Industrial) Treatment Facilities in
Pakistan. Final Report, Lahore: Engineering, Planning and Management Consultants.
Page 25 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Page 26 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Government’s role
Government of Pakistan has made commitments to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). Through its major health intervention
programs, the Ministry of Health has pursued strategies aimed at:
Reducing:
o The infant mortality rate from an estimated 110 in 1990 to a target of 40 by 2015.
o The maternal mortality ratio from an estimated 530 in 1990 to a target of 140 by
2015.
Increasing:
o The proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel from an estimated 20%
in 1990 to a target of > 90% by 2015.
Combating:
The 2008 report of the MDG Gap Taskforce revealed that while there has been much progress
during the last decade, the delivery on commitments has lagged behind schedule.
Pakistan has:
Reduced the under-five mortality rate by 25 during the 1990s but has achieved no further
reductions in the past decade;
Maintained the same infant mortality rate of around 75 in the past decade;
Page 27 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Slightly increased the proportion of 1 year-old children immunized against measles to 60%;
However, these gains would still fall short of the targets identified for the remainder of the
current timeframe.
The government is cognizant that there are other determinants of health, such as illiteracy,
unemployment, gender inequality, social exclusion, food insecurity, rapid urbanization,
environmental degradation, natural disasters, lack of access to safe water and sanitation that
aggravate Pakistanis’ health status. The ministry of health has the human resource capacity and
is willing to assume a leadership role wherever deemed necessary in initiatives that remove
these barriers for the betterment of health and eradication of diseases.
Vision
The vision of the National Health Policy is to improve the health and quality of life of all
Pakistanis, particularly women and children, through access to essential health services.
Goal
The goal of the national health policy is to remove barriers to access to affordable, essential
health services for every Pakistani.
Page 28 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Page 29 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Policy Objectives
To achieve the above stated goal of removal of barriers to essential health services, the
Government of Pakistan adopts the following six Policy Objectives to reform and strengthen
critical aspects of its health systems to enable it to:
1. Provide and Deliver a basic package of quality Essential Health Care Services.
The National Health Policy of Pakistan of 2009 sought to improve the health of the nation.
Despite global financial constraints, national economic down turn and inefficiencies of the
health system, the policy will harness existing resources to reduce the burden of disease in
Pakistan and overcome barriers to access to health care for the very poor. It will do so by
defining and delivering a set of basic health services for all by optimizing available funds use,
improving health manpower, gathering and using reliable health information to guide program
effectiveness and design by strategic use of emerging technology. To achieve these objectives
Page 30 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
the policy will be guided by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and Pakistan’s international
commitments such as to the Millennium Development Goals.
National Program for Family Planning & Primary Health Care (LHW Program)
The Program aims to deliver basic health services at the doorsteps of the poor segments of the
society through deployment of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) living in their own localities. The
program is currently being implemented in all the districts of the country.
The program has strength of 96,000 LHWs nationwide with concentration in rural areas and
urban slums of the country. Each LHW covers 1000 population or 150 houses. These workers
are providing services to their communities in the field of child health, nutrition, family planning
and treatment of minor ailments. Population coverage of the program is about 70%.
Page 31 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
National Malaria Control Program
The goal of the Program is to improve the health status of the population by effectively
controlling malaria through implementation of the Roll Back Malaria strategies. The five year
plan is a step towards achieving the WHO global RBM target of 50% reduction in the malaria
burden by the end of this year 2010. Considerable progress has been made with regard to
involvement of NGOs, awareness and operational research. The Directorate of Malaria Control
was successful win a grant of over US$23 million in Round 7 of the Global Fund.
Prior to 2005, Ministry of Health did not have a separate strategy on MNCH, as a
result of which the maternal newborn and child health services were w eak, insufficient and
fragmented. The Ministry of Health established a cell in the Ministry in February 2005.
The National AIDS Control Program and its provincial units are currently implementing a
program throughout the country to halt the HIV epidemic. The principal components of the
program include interventions for target groups, HIV prevention campaign for general public,
prevention of HIV transmission through blood and blood products, and capacity building and
Programme management. The programme aims to control HIV/AIDS cases by creating
awareness and promoting blood safety through strengthening safe blood transfusion services.
Current cost of the program is of Rs. 2.85 billion (2008-09).
Page 32 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Major components of the programme include expansion of interventions for vulnerable
population, prevention of transmission through blood transfusion, improved HIV prevention by
the general public through behaviour change communication, targeted intervention for youth,
labour, and uniformed personnel.
Page 33 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Bibliography
Page 34 of 35
Syed Nauman Tauqir, Ali Raza, RURAL SOCIOLOGY Final Assignment
Khurram Rana, Uliya Suleman
Women health status in Pakistan: http://www.chowrangi.com/women-health-status-in-
pakistan.html
WHO: http://www.who.int/countries/pak/en/
Page 35 of 35