The need for improved health care system is more important than war mongering
In terms of development, both countries are in a similar situation. Even though India is doing better than Pakistan in some areas, in others Pakistan takes the lead. But overall, the situation doesn’t look too good.
The tensions among the neighbours Pakistan and India have not reduced, rather the opposite has happened.
Recently, The World Bank published a report titled ‘Poverty and Shared Prosperity’ releasing statistics that illustrate that both the countries need to work on issues of rising concerns like poverty, health care, and education in the country instead of focusing on war and indulging in the blame game.
The report comes as a reminder to both the countries about the real social problems that need to be addressed. It portrays a grim picture for the leaders in Pakistan and India of the millions of people suffering because of the misplaced priorities of the respective governments.
Governance is all about improving the lives of the people living in the country, yet the aforementioned major issues are still brushed under the rug. These issues need to be focused on instead of violations at the Line of Control (LoC) and the possibility of war, which will bring an indescribable calamity
The World Bank report places Pakistan among the countries where the income of the poorest people is increasing faster than average whereas, in India incomes of the poorest are growing slower than average, although it has one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
In addition, the inequalities in health care are still striking. The report on addressing the inequality issue in South Asia stated that education and health inequality in India is higher than in Pakistan.
In terms of development, both countries are in a similar situation. Even though India is doing better than Pakistan in some areas, in others Pakistan takes the lead. But overall, the situation doesn’t look too good.
In addition, the inequalities in health care are still striking. The report on addressing the inequality issue in South Asia stated that education and health inequality in India is higher than in Pakistan.
People in the rural areas are at a higher risk of malnutrition and death during childhood and have lower odds of receiving key health care interventions. Moreover, rural areas have lower median health care access than urban areas.
While talking to DNA, Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique talked about the problems in the healthcare sector and the steps taken by the government to overcome these issues.
“Healthcare in Pakistan is a challenging issue, which needs to be addressed by the leadership,” he said.
He elaborated by saying that there are health centres in rural areas where minor surgeries take place and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has started a programme to develop the health care sector along with infrastructure and improving the facilities in the sector.
The need for education among the doctors is also taken care of as medical colleges have created incentives for students to join in and learn about proper methods to deal with patients in rural and urban areas. Furthermore, the student’s enrolling in the programs are being accepted on merit basis.
Both countries have been named as the ‘low-middle-income nations’ by global financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank along with poorly performing on the Human Opportunity Index (HOI).
The report further stated that the inequality in access in these two countries has remained the highest in the region and has only decreased slightly over time.
Regardless of the issues that need attention from the leaders and despite being low-middle-income countries, both Pakistan and India always spend heavily on defence needs due to the rivalry between the neighbours.
Furthermore, around 50 per cent of individuals in both the countries make under $3.10 every day on which their entire families depend. This is when the question arises that is a war the real answer to the situation when health care is still not focused on.
Despite this issue being one the many that need attention, there’s never been a joint effort to put people’s needs ahead of theirs by Pakistan or India. The health facilities in most parts of the countries are still not up to par, many people in the rural areas do not receive the medical attention they need which can be damaging for the population.
A yearly report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed that India was in 6th position on the highest military spending list, up to a rank from its position of the earlier year. The SIPRI information puts Pakistan’s military expenditure in 2015 at $9.5 billion, higher than the earlier year’s $8.7 billion. In contrast with that, India’s military spending in 2015 was $51.3 billion.
In such bleak circumstances, if the leaderships of the two countries can spend on military and infrastructure, it is about time they start spending on other sectors as well, including health care.
Scholar and researcher, Qamar Cheema while talking to DNA said, “Both the states must adopt an inward approach where they can work for the development and prosperity of their respective countries.”
“Extensive health care measures need to be taken on both sides of the border,” he added.
He further elaborated the need to highlight the health issue in rural areas in order for a healthier future for the younger generation. In addition to that, he said that both states must work together to end other major issues in their respective countries instead of just strengthening the military only.
Earlier in the year, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was in London for a heart surgery, if the leadership had worked on improving the facilities in the country itself, he wouldn’t have needed to go to another country to get treated.
Is fighting war the right decision when there are so many things that need to be paid attention to in both the countries?
“The lack of education among the medical staff and authorities is being worked on along with cleanliness which is another major issue,” the health minister added.
Salman Rafique said, “Medicine is also an issue, especially in government hospitals, thus there is a third party to make sure no theft or misuse of medication takes place.”
“It will also make sure that the medicine reaches the rural areas for those in need,” he added.
The health minister said that preventive methods should be strengthened within the health sector, thus doctors are being trained accordingly to cater to the needs of the people, whether it’s in urban areas or rural areas
“Android tracking systems have been installed which keeps track of the information of the patients being treated, wherever the doctors go, the areas the visit, the details of the children being treated and so forth,” the minister said.
The government has started focusing on the health care sector and it is slowly improving. There are many projects that are being implemented in different areas along with international collaborations.
“There is a healthcare insurance project that is being focused on by the prime minister along with others. We have even started collaborating internationally with Turkey for instance,” Salman Rafique said.
Thus, the need for the government to focus on other issues than indulging in talks on war is important. The results of prioritising can lead to increased productivity in the country as improved health raises income through multiple channels. A healthier worker is more productive and will exhibit lower rates of absenteeism.
