The health sector requires the immediate attention of the federal and provincial governments. A 10 years old boy in Sindh lost his life after a dog bite because the hospitals he was rushed to in Shikarpur and Larkana had run out of the vaccine for rabies. This is gross negligence on part of the hospital administration because if the masses start losing lives due to manageable situations, it only speaks for the sad state of affairs at the hospitals in this country. At the same time, the recent trade ban on India is also having a lot of impact on the Pakistani market.
One such impact is the trade of medicines. The pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is heavily dependent on the import of medicines from India. Despite the government lifting the ban, there is an obvious impact on the market. The local industry should either work towards self-sufficiency or look towards cheaper import options to save these precious lives. Another aspect to look at is also the performance of the government and private hospitals. The care being administered to the patients needs to be verified and performance reviews should be introduced to improve the current situation.
A country that allocates only four percent of its annual budget to health is bound to be stuck in this vicious cycle where health is neglected and the services provided by the health care centers is not up to the standards. Two hospitals within the same province were out of common vaccinations. It is also a huge question mark on the performance of the Sindh government in the successive years and their inability to improve the health conditions in the province. Many stories of negligence have emerged in the last couple of years and the provincial government needs to be mobilised to handle the situation in an effective manner.