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World Bank report: Heart disease, diabetes on the rise in Pakistan
Health crisis might aggravate poverty as most people pay for healthcare out of their own pockets.
Health crisis might aggravate poverty as most people pay for healthcare out of their own pockets. DESIGN: ANAM HALEEM
ISLAMABAD: A new World Bank report alerts that Pakistan is facing a health crisis with rising rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are disproportionately affecting poor families and worsening the poverty situation.
According to a report titled Capitalising on the Demographic Transition: Tackling Non-communicable Diseases in South Asia, NCDs currently account for 59 per cent of the total disease burden in Pakistan. Disease burden is the impact of a health problem in an area measured by financial cost, mortality and morbidity among other indicators.
Even though NCDs do not spread as infections, this share is expected to increase as the proportion of people over the age of 65 increases owing to lack of proper health facilities relative to those in developed countries.
The report says that average life expectancy in Pakistan is now 66 years and rising. But, it says, people are getting older without better living conditions, healthier nutrition, rising incomes and access to good healthcare.
Co-author Michael Engelgau, MD, a World Bank Senior Public Health Specialist, says that low birth weight – common among poor families in Pakistan – is an important risk factor for NCDs in adults. “Multiple risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and glucose frequently occur in the same person,” he says.
The trend is prevalent in most of Pakistan’s neighbours. Researchers studied recent data from eight South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and found that South Asians were six years younger (53 vs. 59 years) than those in the rest of the world at their first heart attack.
“This unfair burden is especially harsh on poor people, who, after heart attacks, face life-long major illnesses, have to pay for most of their care out of their savings or by selling their possessions, and then find themselves caught in a poverty trap where they can’t get better and they can’t work,” Engelgau says.
Pakistan’s progress in tackling the situation has been dismal. In 2002, Pakistan enacted the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002, which included measures to stop smoking in public places and a ban on cigarette advertisements. But it is yet to be implemented.
As a policy suggestion, the experts call on Pakistan to develop and adopt a national NCD policy.
They also suggest strengthening tobacco rules and retooling the health work force for NCD prevention and control. Among other suggestions, they say Pakistan should create a national NCD surveillance system and develop evaluation capacity and other related systems.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2011.
Reader Comments (7)
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59% :O DAMN!!!!!Recommend
These facts and figures are troublesome, and something must be done about that quick and now. Sadly, in a country like Pakistan, where alcohol consumption is banned, and half the population lives under the poverty line, these figures are outrageously high.
Things are easier to be said but implementation is very difficult, especially in the case of third world countries. One possible solution can be to levy heavy taxes on the consumption of tobacco, thus discouraging it. Government can further go on carry out mass awareness programs throughout the countries, and discourage smoking. This will increase employment and help curb fatal heart diseases.
Underage smoking is illegal and stringent steps should be taken when any such over-the-counter activity is noticed. Moreover, the shopkeepers should be penalized for selling the product to an underage customer.
Another measure can be to gradually create fire alarm awareness in the people. This will discourage them to smoke inside the building and reduce the number of possible smokers.Recommend
The report is anything but alarming. The incidence of disease prevalance, age of first heart attack, lack of governmental suport and bleak economical structure is hopeless. Interestingly the report comes from a reputable institution who has a very strong influence on Pakistan’s economic policies. A recent review of WHO document on global health implementation, Pakistan had NCD policy previously but there was no implementation.
Pakistan has a reasonable number of medical manpower and training infrastructure. It also has one of the biggest armed force burden in the region which consume a large chunk of its budget apart from debt repayment. There have been several 5 year plans documented but there has not been any serious committment to change ordinary real people’s issues.
Till the present and future governments shift their vision towards real issues, there will not be any improvement in general well being of its people.Recommend
It is astonishing that in Pakistan,av.age is 66.It may be increased by making people more conscious about their health.Govt.should take special action in heath reforms.Recommend
The hour of the need is to understand this fact that what are the reasons which are forcing the minors and even the adults to get acquaint their selves with this unhygienic habit which we called cigarrete. The way our society is moving and flourishing this is going to touch the peak in the near future and then resultantly it will come down. Smoking becomes a status symbol not only for the boys, the girls are also not behind in this race. This is the time to ponder over it and try to adopt some stringent measures which will help to create awareness in the womens that they are not only daughters, sisters or Wife, they are also mothers and for mother i think this is not a right choice to justify thier lifes with smoking. They should realize the fact that it will affect the next coming generation and which will be disastrous.Besides this people ranging from poorer ones from the richest ones are totally obessesed with earnings. Poeple are so stuck that they wont find time to give it to their families and even to thier excercises (either prayer which is the best excercise or some thing else). This is the responsibity of the Government in rule to ease their people so that they will go through healthy and hygienic life. Diseases such as Obesity, heart attacks will never be their if one properly divide the time in to different halfs. No one in this world has yet taken thier earnings into their graves or nor will any till the time the Day of Judgement come. So, it is we to decide either we want to love a healthy life or life full of miseries.Recommend
Undoubtedly NCD burden is rising in Pakistan, and unfortunately no implementation on the national policy is evident. There is a strict need that ministry of health; higher education commission and Pakistan research council provide funds for epidemiological studies for identifying the key risk factors and for the translational interventional studies.Recommend
I have gone through and I have some suggestion as you metioned in your article.I think the major factor for increasing CV problem is
Use of impure products like Milk, edible oil, Ghee,infected water,improper cleaing.
Use of animal fats and beef
improper use of fruits (beyond buying by most of pepoles)
Stress
smoking (ecnomical brands)
Improper rest
improper use of medicines (again same buying problem)
irregular excercise (some are having problems of snatching,ladies have got more problems due to our male and unsecure society.
Junck food (affording people)
Over weight
There are many more factors but few came in my mind. I know many people who are having known CV complication but they are not using medicence due to buying problems.
I know many people are diabetics but using suger and suger products without knowing their Glucose level, they are so non serious.
I know many people who are having CV complications, not modefying life style, they eat more then the normal, take all types of food.
My suggestion is that they need to have health facility, health educations door to door by electronic and print media. we must make team of young students who visit door to door and educate all families, like their food habits related to aging, how to reduce weight, how to make habit of excercise, sleeping habits etc
we must serious otherwise our nation will suffer lot.
Regards,
RafaqRecommend