Poor UHC coverage

Only half of Pakistan has universal healthcare access, with significant regional disparities impacting citizens.

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Despite significant strides in the right direction since the start of the 21st century, only about half the population of Pakistan has access to universal healthcare, which is generally accepted as being a necessity for development. In fact, the only developed country without a true universal healthcare system is the US, which is one of the reasons why the country lags far behind other rich countries in terms of health outcomes and cost. But unlike the US, where the influence of the insurance industry and Big Pharma are generally blamed for the lack of universal healthcare, in Pakistan, cost is the main factor - population growth is outpacing the economic growth needed to finance the existing healthcare system, let alone an expanded universal healthcare system.

A recent report also shows major regional disparities in universal healthcare (UHC) coverage. While no Pakistani province or territory is anywhere close to the global target of 80% UHC coverage, Islamabad is performing relatively well, with 63.9% coverage, followed by Punjab with 55.5%, K-P 51%, Sindh 50.7%, and Balochistan just 38.4% coverage. These regional disparities exist despite the much-hyped efforts of PTI, PML-N and PPP-led governments in the provinces and at the Centre to introduce universal insurance programmes.

The implications of limited UHC coverage are clear to see - in 2021 alone, about 5.4% of households spent over 10% of their income on healthcare, which is unsustainable and potentially bankrupting for people who often also have to deal with lost income during their illness and recovery period on top of the healthcare costs. And those lost hours add up. Studies have shown that in countries with UHC, people are healthier and take less time off due to illness, resulting in higher economic output, which, in turn, could end up paying for the additional UHC costs. If the leaders of the provinces and Islamabad come together to work in the interest of their citizens, there is no reason they could not come up with a plan that regards healthcare expansion as an investment rather than an expense.