Election promises: PMA demands parties to put health policies in manifestoes
Pakistan spends the least on health care, 0.6% of the total GDP.
KARACHI:
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has demanded that all political and religious parties include clear strategies for health care and medical education in their party manifestoes.
“We demand all political and religious forces of the country seriously think about health care and medical education in the country,” said Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, the PMA secretary general at a press conference with Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, the treasurer. Accordng to Azhar, Pakistan spends the least on health care. “We spend 0.6% of our GDP on health,” he said. “It should be more than 6%.”
He said that 2.7 million out of the total 9 million nurses in the world are in the US. “We have only one nurse for 15 doctors when there should be eight nurses per doctor.”
Azhar criticised the condition of medical education in the country and highlighted the role of medical colleges and universities in destroying it.
He said that around 108 medical colleges function in the country and four new ones had opened in the Punjab, while many were being set up. However, faculty was scarce. “We don’t have 108 anatomy professors in the whole country,” said the general secretary. “A single professor takes classes in four different colleges while we build more colleges.” The PMA will prepare a health policy for the country, said Azhar. He criticised the health policy of 2008, which according to him, was made by foreign consultants who were unaware about the ground realities of the country. He said that attention should be paid to the basic health units in the rural areas because they play a vital role in providing health facilities to the rural people.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has demanded that all political and religious parties include clear strategies for health care and medical education in their party manifestoes.
“We demand all political and religious forces of the country seriously think about health care and medical education in the country,” said Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, the PMA secretary general at a press conference with Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, the treasurer. Accordng to Azhar, Pakistan spends the least on health care. “We spend 0.6% of our GDP on health,” he said. “It should be more than 6%.”
He said that 2.7 million out of the total 9 million nurses in the world are in the US. “We have only one nurse for 15 doctors when there should be eight nurses per doctor.”
Azhar criticised the condition of medical education in the country and highlighted the role of medical colleges and universities in destroying it.
He said that around 108 medical colleges function in the country and four new ones had opened in the Punjab, while many were being set up. However, faculty was scarce. “We don’t have 108 anatomy professors in the whole country,” said the general secretary. “A single professor takes classes in four different colleges while we build more colleges.” The PMA will prepare a health policy for the country, said Azhar. He criticised the health policy of 2008, which according to him, was made by foreign consultants who were unaware about the ground realities of the country. He said that attention should be paid to the basic health units in the rural areas because they play a vital role in providing health facilities to the rural people.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.