According to the economic survey of Pakistan FY2023, the provision of quality healthcare services and ensuring the nutrition security of the population are key to human capital development, which is a significant element of the economic development of a country. Pakistan has been committed to ensuring equitable access to health and nutrition services to its population in line with the international best practices as is evident from the country’s commitment to meet global targets of good health and wellbeing under SDG 3.
The National Health Vision 2016-2025 also envisages health sector reforms focusing on improving the public health delivery system by carefully designed and need-based interventions. The Government of Pakistan during FY2023, intensified its attempts to address the challenge of malnutrition and mitigate its long-term social and economic results through focusing on the most underprivileged and vulnerable population groups. Various programs have been undertaken to offer nutrition services for the well-being of these marginalized population groups in the light of Pakistan Vision 2025 and government’s commitments to worldwide nutrition targets. The Government of Pakistan, with the assistance of the international community, has carried out several rescue and relief activities like food supply to the affected population. Nonetheless, there is an urgent need to scale up nutrition interventions aimed at vulnerable groups in order to save lives and ensure nutrition security.
As per the economic survey of Pakistan FY2023, nutrition programs are undertaken and committed under Provincial Annual Development Programs (ADPs) and Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit during FY2023.
Punjab
- Â Integrated Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal & Child Health and Nutrition Program (IRMNCH & NP) costing Rs 6,706.99 million
- Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy for WASH including Water Supply, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Waste Water costing Rs 1,013.1 million
- Awareness Campaign to improve fish production and per capita fish consumption in Punjab to meet the nutritional requirements of the masses costing Rs 70.163 million
- Stunting Reduction Program for 11 districts of Southern Punjab costing Rs 8,993 million
- Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP)-IFAD Assisted costing Rs 15,525 million
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Â Integration of health services delivery with a special focus on MNCH, LHW and Nutrition Program costing Rs 7,027.3 million
- Stunting Prevention by enhanced Nutrition and Agriculture Development Initiative costing Rs 1,500 million
- Poverty Alleviation through Development of Rural Poultry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa costing Rs 643.6 million
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Stunting Prevention and Rehabilitation Integrated Nutrition GAIN (KP SPRING Project) costing Rs 2, 217.9 million
- Nutrition integration in Universal Health Coverage and revision of Provincial Health Policy
- KP Multi-Sectoral Integrated Nutrition Strategy
Sindh
- Â Accelerated Action Plan (AAP) for Reduction of Stunting and Malnutrition- nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions
Balochistan
- Â National Maternal New-born & Child Healthcare (MNCH) program
- Improvement of range lands for food security and livelihoods improvement in Suleiman range, Baluchistan
Jammu and Kashmir
- Â Agro-Ecological based Fruit, Vegetable & Apiculture Development as enterprise costing Rs 78.5 million
- Early Childhood Development Program (ECD) in 300 Middle Schools of the AJ&K (Phase-III) costing Rs 90.10 million
- ECD /ECCE in Middle, High & Higher Secondary Schools costing Rs 163 million
Gilgit Baltistan
- Â Targeting Blue Revolution towards Food, Nutrition & Livelihood Security by conservation of local Species in the GB costing Rs 80 million
- GB Scaling Up Nutrition Program (SUN) (with the collaboration of P&DD) costing Rs 175 million
- Ensuring Food Security and Economic Growth by Extension of Trout Farming in District Ghizer costing Rs 50 million
- Provision of ECD facilities in existing Government P/S of GB costing Rs 80 million
- Social Health Protection (Phase-II) costing Rs 634 million
- Protection & promotion of breast feeding / child nutrition Act, 2018
- Revision of GB’s Integrated Multi-sectoral Nutrition Strategy
- Nutrition Integration within National Program for Family Planning & Primary Health Care Gilgit-Baltistan
- Reproductive Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health & Nutrition
- Improving the nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women and under-5 children
On the other hand, the federal government presently proposed an allocation of Rs24.21 billion for the healthcare sector for FY2023-24 as against to Rs22.49 billion allocated during the outgoing financial year, while a sum of Rs13 billion would be spent to uplift the sector under the public sector development budget. The major chunk of the health budget, Rs16.59 billion, would be spent to sustain hospital services while Rs3.11 billion would be allocated for public health services.
Statistics showed that the administrative cost of the healthcare sector would stand at Rs4.5 billion. The government allocated a meager sum of Rs 32 million for medical products, appliances, and equipment.
Meanwhile, sources recorded that the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has been demanding, for the previous various decades the provision of quality healthcare to all and the improvement of the overall health sector in Pakistan for which we need to improve the health budget up to 6 percent of the GDP as per the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is said that the health budget was recorded at 1.0 percent and 1.4 percent in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
“The PMA also advocates for the implementation of healthy public health initiatives and the establishment of effective disease surveillance systems to combat the growing burden of infectious diseases. Proactive measures, like enhancing sanitation, prevention by developed immunisation system, [and] health education programs are essential to decline the prevalence of preventable illnesses and enhance overall public health.