Healthcare dilemma

It is a given that Sindh province has one of the most precarious healthcare systems in the country. It is also ironic that Karachi, despite being the nation's growth engine, lacks adequate infrastructure to address ailments and preventive medicine. The reason is simple: consecutive governments have lacked the will to walk the talk, and no sizeable investments have been made in the health sector. Out of a provincial budget of Rs3.56 trillion, roughly 11%, or Rs393.16 billion, has been allocated to healthcare for FY27 - to serve around 57 million people.

Many health issues in Sindh are directly linked to social taboos, poor hygienic standards and hazardous practices among the populace, such as the mass consumption of tobacco, gutka and mainpuri. A plethora of legislation has been unable to crack down on either these dreadful traders or the gutka consumers. It is shocking to note that 24.3% of the population in Sindh uses tobacco, betel nuts, and other smokeless toxins.

It is, likewise, horrifying to note that the number of thalassemia patients is on the rise across Sindh. More than 25,000 children are living with this inherited blood disorder, of whom only 11,000 are registered with public and private entities. Similarly, notwithstanding a ban on the sale and promotion of infant formula, synthetic milk is being sold over the counter. This makes a mockery of breastfeeding laws, which mandate a fine of Rs500,000 and imprisonment for sales made without a paediatric prescription. Only 52% of mothers in Pakistan breastfeed their children, while the rest rely on milk supplements. The result is obvious: more than 41.3% of children in Sindh are underweight, and roughly 3 million are stunted.

Last but not least is the dilemma of coping with typhoid, malaria, measles and other contagious diseases across this unevenly developed province, causing health risks to persist and preventable illnesses to spread with impunity. The way forward is to ensure stringent implementation of existing laws and to evolve community-based healthcare by investing appropriately in preventive medicine.