Healthcare in Pakistan: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Despite the increase in public health facilities, Pakistan's [[population growth]] has generated an unmet need for healthcare.<ref name=":63">{{Cite journal|last=Shaikh|first=Babar|date=2015|title=Private Sector in Health Care Delivery: A Reality and Challenge in Pakistan|journal=J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad|volume=27|issue=2|pages=496–498|pmid=26411151}}</ref> Public healthcare institutions that address critical health issues are often only located in major towns and cities. Due to the absence of these institutions and the cost associated with transportation, impoverished people living in rural and remote areas tend to consult private doctors.<ref name=":123" /> Studies have shown that Pakistan's private sector healthcare system is outperforming the public sector healthcare system in terms of service quality and patient satisfaction, with 70% of the population being served by the private health sector.<ref name=":23" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pakistan's healthcare system {{!}} Pakistan Today|url=https://archive.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/01/08/pakistans-healthcare-system/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=archive.pakistantoday.com.pk}}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The private health sector operates through a fee-for-service system of unregulated hospitals, medical practitioners, [[homeopathic doctor]]s, [[Hakim (title)|hakeems]], and other [[spiritual healers]].<ref name=":63" /> In urban areas, some public-private partnerships exist for franchising private sector outlets and contributing to overall service delivery.<ref name=":73">{{Cite journal|last=Shaikh|first=Babar|date=2005|title=Health Seeking Behaviour and Health Service Utilization in Pakistan: Challenging the Policy Makers.|journal=Journal of Public Health|volume=27|pages=49–54|doi=10.1093/pubmed/fdh207|pmid=15590705|doi-access=free}}</ref> Very few mechanisms exist to regulate the quality, standards, protocols, ethics, or prices within the private health sector, that results in disparities in health services.<ref name=":63" />

Even though nurses play a key role in any country's health care field, Pakistan has only 105,950 nurses to service a population of 241.49 million people<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan Population |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/Press%20Release.pdf}}</ref>, leaving a shortfall of nurses as per [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) estimates.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-23|title=Pakistan needs 'a million more nurses'|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2039989/pakistan-needs-million-nurses|access-date=2021-05-04|website=The Express Tribune|language=en}}</ref> As per the Economic Survey of Pakistan (2020–21), the country is spending 1.2% of the GDP on healthcare <ref>{{Cite web|title=Health expenditure: 1.2pc of GDP against WHO-recommended 5pc|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/847694-health-expenditure-1-2pc-of-gdp-against-who-recommended-5pc|access-date=2021-06-17|website=www.thenews.com.pk|language=en}}</ref> which is less than the healthcare expenditure recommended by WHO i.e. 5% of GDP.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2003|title=How Much Should Countries Spend on Health?|url=https://www.who.int/health_financing/en/how_much_should_dp_03_2.pdf|website=World Health Organization}}</ref>

==Cancer care==