Health problems have become the major issue in all across the world especially in underdeveloped country like Pakistan. The health indicators of Pakistan especially pertaining to women and children are not very encouraging. In fact, if you actually compared the health indicators in the past one decade, then you will realize that the maternal mortality or the infant mortality has hardly moved 10 figures here and there. Out of nearly a thousand children born in one year, 95-100 died before they reached their first birthday. After every 20 minutes, one woman dies due to pregnancy-related complications.

As you already know, polio has become a very big issue, not just polio, it’s other vaccine-preventable diseases like measles which are spreading. Tuberculosis has come up. All these factors are basically due to health infrastructure which is not functioning very well.

The health issues in Pakistan are numerous. If we talk about the solutions of these health problems in Pakistan than first of all, the government should have to increase the per capita amount from GDP for the health. Under the head of Health Affairs and Services, a total allocation of Rs 30 billion has been made in the budget. But this sector needs a significant increase in budget. And really over a period of time, we haven’t really seen any improvement in the health issue. One thing that people should really try to combat these problems. Whether they be malaria, whether they be pregnancy-related complications, if everyone joins hands even then it will take a long time to combat these. So, governments, the NGO’s, the private sector, public sector, everyone really has to work towards it.

I understand the rules of the “Letters to the Editor”, I hope the message I have tried to convey will get through it, without being winnowed and I hope you will consider my message.

MUHAMMAD ZAIN MAQSOOD,

Lahore, November 2.