Health Sector – Impact Network

Overview

Despite an elaborate and extensive network of health infrastructure, the health care delivery system in Pakistan has failed to bring about improvement in health status especially of rural populations. The health system is characterized by inadequate expenditure, poor quality services and poor access to and utilization of services. Most of the surveys showed that utilization of Government health care services in Pakistan is low. The three most commonly cited reasons are, inaccessible facilities, lack of availability of medicines, and uncooperative staff. Only 33% of the rural population is in access of 5km. Additionally, Shortage of basic health care equipment at hospitals in Pakistan contributes significantly to neonatal deaths from preventable causes.

Key Statistics

Hospital beds (per 10,000 population) 20

Density of physicians (per 10,000 population) 7.8

Density of nurses and midwives (per 10,000 population) 3.8

Challenges

Access to healthcare

Affordability of Healthcare

Quality of healthcare

Recommendations

Use technology to increase access

Invest in building low-cost local manufacturing of health equipment and products

Institute quality of care frameworks

The global healthcare market is now estimated to be worth some $10tn and is growing at a faster rate than GDP in many countries. This market spans both the public and the private sectors. In some cases, like vaccine procurement, it operates mainly in the public sector, whereas in others, such as digital innovations, we are seeing an explosion of private sector entrepreneurship that is leapfrogging health system gaps in many countries.

Making markets work better for health—by reducing transaction costs, increasing market information, balancing buyer and supplier risks, and using innovative business models to reach underserved populations—will lead to better use of resources and continued improvements in health in both rich and poor countries.

What does the future hold? The challenge will be to find appropriate ways to adapt stewardship mechanisms for mixed health systems in which both public and private actors and resources are deployed to provide more health for more people. We will need to pay attention to transparency, equity, and accountability—for public and private sector actors alike.

Key trends shaping Health Tech

Data Exchange Platforms for Telemedicine

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)-

AR/VR/MR

AI Diagnostics

Chatbots

Predictive and Data Analytics

Block Chain