Healthcare Pakistan
Question: The Government of Pakistan offers health care for free or at nominal rates in public hospitals. Does this act like a health insurance? Who benefits from such a policy? Critically analyze the policy and assess if a program like Medicaid can be successfully implemented in our context; will it improve health outcomes?
The Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12 suggests that the federal government’s expenditure on health amounted to a measly 0.27% of the national GDP (“Pakistan”). Given that a majority of Pakistan’s population is poor and unable to afford even basic medical treatment for the frequent disease outbreaks, this contribution seems rather inadequate. Hence the question arises as to whether the government’s investment in the public provision of healthcare successfully treated its recipients, and if so, has it been available to every person in need? Thus in this paper, we analyze the state of Pakistan’s public sector healthcare system and reveal its actual beneficiaries. Our aim will be to assess whether the government has in fact insured its people from medical contingencies by assessing the factors which have led to the success or failure of current policies. We will subsequently delve in to alternate courses of action at the disposal of the government by assessing their viability in the current economic climate and their potential impact on improving the current levels of service.
Public hospitals in Pakistan currently charge a nominal fee for healthcare, which usually runs at Rs. 100 per doctor’s visit (Ali). Since they largely cater to people in the low and lower middle income groups, this at times acts as a deterrent for the vast majority of patients who cannot even afford this basic fee. Hence, even though the masses are conceptually entitled to subsidized health care, they end up borrowing to fund their medical expenditures.
According to Naya Jeevan Founder Asher Hasan, hospitals also tend to be under-resourced and overwhelmed (Kalsoom).
The Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12 suggests that the federal government’s expenditure on health amounted to a measly 0.27% of the national GDP (“Pakistan”). Given that a majority of Pakistan’s population is poor and unable to afford even basic medical treatment for the frequent disease outbreaks, this contribution seems rather inadequate. Hence the question arises as to whether the government’s investment in the public provision of healthcare successfully treated its recipients, and if so, has it been available to every person in need? Thus in this paper, we analyze the state of Pakistan’s public sector healthcare system and reveal its actual beneficiaries. Our aim will be to assess whether the government has in fact insured its people from medical contingencies by assessing the factors which have led to the success or failure of current policies. We will subsequently delve in to alternate courses of action at the disposal of the government by assessing their viability in the current economic climate and their potential impact on improving the current levels of service.
Public hospitals in Pakistan currently charge a nominal fee for healthcare, which usually runs at Rs. 100 per doctor’s visit (Ali). Since they largely cater to people in the low and lower middle income groups, this at times acts as a deterrent for the vast majority of patients who cannot even afford this basic fee. Hence, even though the masses are conceptually entitled to subsidized health care, they end up borrowing to fund their medical expenditures.
According to Naya Jeevan Founder Asher Hasan, hospitals also tend to be under-resourced and overwhelmed (Kalsoom).
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