The Health Care System in Pakistan
A health care system is rated by considering the different aspects. While Pakistan’s system has improved during the years and proved to be relatively strong during the pandemic time, it is still under progress and needs to be worked on.
The private sector is doing a great job, with calm atmosphere, clean waiting rooms and properly managed educated staff. However, due to the rising charges it is only affordable by the upper class population. Thus, the rich is catered well in our country and the poor is once again expected to adjust with the low standards, tents, and shortage of resources.
Government hospitals contain a good amount of beds, ventilators, vaccines, staff and doctors. But they are in no way comparable to the amount of citizens that are dependent on these hospitals and centres. The hospitals like the Civil Hospital, and Jinnah Hospital have thousands of people residing on the footpaths outsides begging people to give them a few funds for their medicines. There is a long queue for the turns and no waiting areas. Moreover, due to shortage of facilities the people are forced to roam around in each hospital in search of a bed. The doctors are not paid well which makes it impossible for them to work there. There is no upgrading and no encouragement for the staff. This makes them demotivated and they, despite having the love for their motherland, are forced to leave for better opportunities. There are no neat and clean areas and no facilities for hygienic rooms which increases chances of infection and spread of diseases.
While the medical staff is not supported nicely, the students are not trained properly either. The entrance test is not streamlined and proper with a lot of issues arising each year. The students undergo stress and anxiety during their time in med school and observe the discrepancy in the system which makes them wish to run away from the country. During the pandemic, the online classes seemed to be very unhelpful and decreased the standard of education in our health care universities. When students don’t see a bright future in their careers ahead, they do not feel like being part of it. This has to change.
There is need of advancement. It is only possible if more funds are put into the health care system. If doctors and nurses are paid well, and sent on international and national courses and fellowship programs, they will be pushed and motivated to work better. While the rest of the world is dependent on robots, latest softwares and computerized reporting, some centers in Pakistan are short of that and use paper work for prescriptions, reporting and tests. Old surgical methods are used. In villages and kachiabadi, there are small centers which are not supervised by any medically licensed person. There are people without degrees claiming to be doctors and using the patients to their own advantages.
Hospitals like The Indus Hospital are playing a tremendous role in improving the system by exhibiting top notch protocols for free. Edhi Centre is known for the biggest ambulance chain and unlimited help to people. Still there are a lot of gaps unfilled and need more of such institutes to come into action. Moreover, the welfare and zakat policies help the unaffordingpeople take good care through private hositals as well. There are several NGOs working for the betterment of the society. ShaukatKhanum, Aaghaz Foundation, Serve our Community Health(SOCH), HamaraMustaqbil and various more. These work really hard for the betterment of the system. Therefore, it is crucial for us to give in donations to these foundations and NGOs and participate in their blood donation camps and drives. We can play an important role by supporting such initiatives.
As health and education are the two vital needs of a good quality life, it is imperative that we as a nation work for a better system. During this time of Covid 19, we realized how important the facilities are. While certain threatening diseases can take away our lives in seconds, it is cucial to have stable systems to rely on and our people deserve that to the least. It is time we work on it and make ourselves ready for any future endemics and pandemics.