List of Top 8 Health Issues in Pakistan

In Pakistan, more than 70 million of the population is living below the poverty line. These people don’t have any access to basic facilities including food and water. In addition to that, if they get sick, they don’t have any proper healthcare facilities. In the history of Pakistan, health has never been a top priority especially of the people living in rural areas. Middle and upper-income class families are able to get treatment from best hospitals as they can pay from their pockets. On the other hand, for the underprivileged community, there are local hospitals but the number of patients is far more than the doctors available to treat them. Also, the number of beds are too less in these hospitals. Due to this, a large number of people have to sit on the floors which are also reported by media many times.

There are a number of NGOs working in the healthcare sector. Majority of them are providing free medicines that can heal the pain of patients who are suffering from flu, cough or other mild diseases. But for those, who are suffering from serious diseases and need proper treatment, there is no care provided to them. The government hospitals are not enough to cater the needs of thousands of suffering people. If they need surgical treatment, they have to rely on local hospitals who put them on a long waiting list. By the time their turn comes, either the patient gets expired or his/her health gets deteriorated. 

In the majority of rural areas, there is not even any local hospital to facilitate the people. Especially in Sindh, there are many small villages and slums where people are dying because they don’t have clean water and food. Due to this, they suffer from a number of deadly diseases. The infant mortality rate in Pakistan is also alarming which is 66 per 1000 births. Due to lack of proper care, mothers are not able to maintain their health during pregnancy resulting in the deaths of their babies. In many cases, children are born with various diseases including heart defects. Apart from the lack of medical facilities, there is not any health insurance system for the underprivileged through which they can treatment for free or at least at discounted rates. 

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-> Alarming Health Conditions in Pakistan

In Pakistan, only 3% of the total budget is allocated for healthcare which is not enough. Keeping in mind the number of people who are living in extreme poverty, the government should take serious steps. Due to lack of basic facilities and healthcare, a large number of our population is suffering from a number of diseases. Following are 8 most prevalent health issues in Pakistan which need immediate action:

List of Top 8 Health Issues in Pakistan

1 – Tuberculosis
2 – Hepatitis A, B and C
3 – Dengue fever
4 – Ischemic Heart Disease
5 – Stroke
6 – Cancer
7 – Diabetes
8 – Malaria

1 – Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is caused by a specific bacteria which attacks the lungs. It can also damage other parts of the body resulting in death sometimes. TB can also spread by sneezing and coughing. According to WHO, Pakistan is ranked number 8 out of 22 countries that are prone to tuberculosis. 

2 – Hepatitis A, B and C

In Pakistan, every third person is suffering from one type of Hepatitis. According to the medical experts, Hepatitis is increasing in Pakistan at an alarming rate resulting in hundreds of deaths each day. There are a number of reasons causing Hepatitis among the people of Pakistan including infected blood, drugs and drinking unclean water. 

3 – Dengue fever

Dengue fever is another severe form of a virus that can cause death if not treated in time. It is transmitted through mosquito bites and is very common in the rural areas where there is no hygiene and lack of clean drinking water. 

4 – Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic or Coronary heart disease is one of the most severe diseases which causes thousands of death in Pakistan every year. The main reasons behind the heart disease are; obesity, high blood pressure, smoking and unhealthy food. 

5 – Stroke

Every year, around 300,000 cases of strokes are reported in Pakistan. A large number of people die because of lack of healthcare facilities and proper medical attention on time. The main causes of stroke include high blood pressure, poor diet, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity and cardiac disease. 

6 – Cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in Pakistan. About 8% of total deaths are caused by cancer every year. Majority of people are unaware of the cancer symptoms and are not diagnosed until they reach critical cancer stage. Additionally, they don’t have any medical facilities available to them. There are very few cancer hospitals in Pakistan that provide cancer treatment for free. Patients from rural areas are not financially stable enough to get treatment from private hospitals. 

7 – Diabetes

The lack of health and proper nutrition is a visible issue in Pakistan. Poor eating habits and processed food are few of the reasons why a large number of people in Pakistan are suffering from Diabetes. Due to lack of health care, many patients are unable to treat their diabetes. Another main issue is lack of health education. Because of these reasons, poor people are being affected at large. 

8 – Malaria

Mosquito bites can also cause a severe disease “Malaria”. Due to pollution and poor drainage systems, the mosquitoes find nesting grounds on the standing water all over the country and hence causing disease like Malaria. People living in rural areas are not aware of such diseases. Hence, they are not able to get proper treatment on time. 

These are only some of the health issues currently widespread across Pakistan and need immediate action. Even though many new strategies are introduced to improve the health care facilities in Pakistan, there is a need to take more steps in order to provide proper healthcare and improve health education. The government also needs to initiate programs that can help those who are not financially stable and are unable to undergo medical treatment. 

Transparent Hands is one such organization which initiated the mission of facilitating the poor people of Pakistan for their health issues. This organization provides free surgeries to the underprivileged people at private hospitals. Transparent Hands don’t let any patient wait for a long time for the surgery. In 3 years, Transparent Hands has changed the lives of more than 300 patients with the help of its kind donors. The surgeries include cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, cancer surgery, gynae surgery and general surgeries. Your donations have created a huge impact in the lives of more than 30o families. Transparent Hands is striving to save the lives of more patients and that is not possible without your support. Donate now and make these people happy and healthy. 

You can also create a real difference in the lives of these patients through Thanksgiving donations.