Pakistan's Health System Collapses: Crisis Deepens

Pakistan's healthcare system is experiencing a profound crisis, marked by the daily loss of 675 newborns and 27 mothers due to avoidable causes. This situation is not an act of fate but a failure of governance, with contaminated water identified as a silent killer. Poor water quality is linked to 40% of annual deaths and 30% of national diseases, severely straining an already fragile system.

Compounding these issues, Pakistan bears the heaviest global burden of hepatitis C, alongside high rates of heart disease and the highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia. The rise of extensively drug-resistant typhoid in Karachi and a 200% surge in new HIV infections over 15 years highlight regulatory weaknesses and unsafe medical practices. The crisis is further exacerbated by soaring medicine prices and shortages of essential life-saving drugs, forcing families to make impossible choices.

The Pakistan Medical Association's "Health of the Nation 2026" report calls for urgent action, including declaring a national health emergency. Recommendations include raising health spending to at least 3% of GDP, freezing drug prices, and prioritizing clean drinking water. These measures are deemed minimum obligations to address an escalating public health emergency, now directly linked to environmental degradation and toxic air.