Dismal health indicators

Overview by Manzoor Chandio
Pakistan’s health parameters are unsatisfactory as there are fewer healthcare facilities and doctors for people, especially in rural areas.
The country tops in the list where malnutrition and morbidity are higher in children.
There is need for reducing maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR).
The country lacks high quality, modern and easily accessible round-the-clock health delivery system both in normal and disaster situations.
Strengthening curative and preventive components of health, provision of the maximum protection against preventable diseases, provision of individual and community-based health related awareness and efforts to make sure the healthy growth of school-going children and infants should be the top priority of the government.
Setting up of health facilities at the door step of people and provision of diagnostic and curative services against hematological disorders like thalassaemia and against traumatic injuries is the need of the hour.
Extraordinary efforts should be taken for controlling malaria, hepatitis and scabies.
Sindh is the province where polio eradication efforts have failed.

There are 10 polio cases in Sindh of 15 in the country that has already missed the WHO target to eradicate the disease by 2005.
Emergence of ten cases over the years in Sindh shows a poor performance of the provincial health authorities.
Ambulance services are required to take patients to hospitals. People in rural areas have no option but to use bull-carts and donkey-carts, instead of ambulances, to take patients to hospitals.

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