History of the health sector of Pakistan after Independence

            History of the health sector of Pakistan after Independence

 Health sectors play a vital role in the well-being of the country and are a major factor in the development of any country . Pakistan has been struggling with the health sector after got independence in 1947 but after independence, Pakistan could not perform well in health sector because of political instability in the country and had a lack of resources and capital to make the healthcare infrastructure better. During the year 1960, the country was growing rapidly and many countries were impressed by its development of Pakistan they called Pakistan an Asian tiger but after that year our country has trapped on the wrong path and could make a progress, especially in health there was no proper focus to make the health sector better and somehow bring reforms in the health care system of Pakistan but those policies could not retain for a longer period. Mostly poor people died due to poor health facilities such as no proper treatment no proper sanitation and no clean drinking water facilities in a country as well. If a country’s labor is healthy its productivity and prosperity will automatically improve. However, Pakistan brought some programs to eliminate some serious diseases such as the polio program and to eliminate smallpox in 1974, and in 1978 the program immunization expanded program immunization vaccine-preventable childhood killer diseases were also launched. This program rapidly increased with major scaling in 1983 and another program was launched in 2001 to target people suffering from tuberculosis.

 In Pakistan, the infrastructure of the health sector consists of basic health units(BHU), rural health centers(RHCs), and district hospitals in Pakistan the network of the basic health care system consists of 5,518 basic health units,5802 dispensaries,683 rural health center, and 1201 hospitals. If we look at the number of human resources 1, 16,189 GPs, 22,799 specialists, 33,427 nurses, and 95,000 LHWs.These numbers are not quite enough to fulfill the need of the country as our country’s population is growing rapidly and these numbers will cover their needs. Pakistan brought some health policy since we got independence National Health policy in 1990 the objectives of this policy were to improve health including family planning and providing clean water were taken into consideration. It is focused on the health services in schools for controlling malaria and infectious diseases and providing clean water and sanitation for public health. National Health Policy 1997 was the second health policy the concept of Health for All its Moto, such as road traffic accidents, Hiv and AIDs, cancer, violence, and mental health were given attention. Under this policy health education and health promotion were given prior and non-infectious diseases e.g. diabetes, cancer, and other diseases under the District health government initiatives, decentralization of health later on it was uncontrolled. National Health Policy 2001 stated that the new health policy provides an overall national vision for the health sector based on the health for all approach. National Health policy 2009 this policy was focused on the health system's effectiveness and efficiency and ensuring acceptable, accessible, and affordable health services. This policy also ensures to improve the health status while being fair, responsive, and pro-poor and contributing to poverty reduction. This policy draft was drawn up in response to the 18^th Amendment where the dissolution of the power was given to the provincial level so the provincial government could take a decision and take responsibility for the people. National health vision 2016-2025 this national health policy is based on eight pillars these pillars pave the pave way for safety, coverage, and quality and are accessible to all people in a country to improve its efficiency and social protection as well.
Besides many obstacles in our existing health sector, there is still a ray of hope for the future outcomes of the current situation. Our health sector running with the collaboration of the ministry of health and the world health organization to better the health situation of Pakistan, there is a better need for dedication and devotion from the government to take a step forward and make it feasible. There is a long-term vision for the health sector that can make our country’s future in health development.