Coming up short even in life expectancy

ISLAMABAD: Gains in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy may be almost equal in Pakistan but still far below the global average. A complex mix of fatal and non-fatal ailments, including lower respiratory infections, neonatal encephalopathy, and diarrheal diseases are the reasons for poor health in Pakistan.

This was reported in a new analysis of 306 diseases and injuries in 188 countries published in The Lancet on Thursday.

A study was conducted to examine fatal and non-fatal health loss across countries conducted by an international consortium of researchers. They conducted the Global Burden of Disease study led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

According to the study in Pakistan, life expectancy increased by only 3.4 years, and health life expectancy increased by 3.3 years.  This is at a slower pace than global numbers reported as people gained 6.2 years of life expectancy between 1990 and 2013, and 5.4 years of healthy life.

“The increase in healthy life expectancy has not been as dramatic as the growth of life expectancy. As a result, people are living more years with illness and disability,” highlights the study.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.