Pakistan ranks first: WHO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan ranks first in Asia for most deaths caused by traffic accidents. According to the latest WHO data published in 2018, Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in Pakistan reached 30,046 or 2.42% of total deaths.  

The World Bank estimates that Pakistan's annual burden of disease due to outdoor air pollution accounts for 22 000 premature adult deaths and 163 432 DALYS lost. In comparison, indoor pollution accounts for 40 million acute respiratory infections and 28 000 deaths/year. This is the worst situation due to the air pollution, but again no significant change has been observed. Even the Sindh High Court ordered three times to improve the polluted environment, but no improvement has been made. The laws in this regard are never implemented; even you cannot see the implementation of the Prohibition of No Smoking Law 2002.  

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has been vocal about the increasing tendency of aerial firing in our society during weddings or other celebrations. This practice is an open violation of law, often killing innocent people. Unfortunately, this unlawful practice has never been stopped, and these horrifying incidents take place regularly. PMA being a patient-friendly organisation had previously written letters to the present and previous Prime Ministers to take notice of the situation and ban this tradition of aerial firing for any celebration to save the lives of the innocent people of Pakistan. Still, unfortunately, the practice continued in 2021.

The spokesperson of PMA stated, "We have been raising our voice for years for the security of doctors and paramedics, but our rulers never heard us. So many incidents of violence against healthcare workers took place in 2021 also."  

According to the spokesperson, PMA had been advocating for investing more in preventing diseases rather than the curative side. Still, nothing has been done, and as a result, the burden of diseases is increasing day by day. "By just providing clean water to all the citizens of Pakistan, we can prevent 60 per cent of diseases. If we eliminate mosquitoes, we can prevent all mosquito-borne diseases, which are 40% of our total burden. We are lacking virology labs in the country. There should be virology labs at least at every provincial capital of Pakistan." He added.  

According to WHO recommendations, the health budget of any country should at least be 6 per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In our case, despite repeated PMA pleas and reminders to the government, the health budget has remained less than 1 per cent.  

He further indicated, "We hope that with the joint efforts of the government, medical fraternity and public, we will eliminate COVID-19 in 2022. We also hope that our government will prioritise health and medical education in 2022, and the coming year will prove to be a better year for our Health Delivery System."

PMA believed that proper planning, political will, honesty, increased health budget and its proper allocation, and consolidated preventive measures could improve the health delivery system in 2022.