ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has revealed alarming statistics about the country’s severe health crises, admitting significant flaws in the current system. Speaking at a “Safety Medicine” event hosted by the Ministry of Health, he announced that Pakistan has unfortunately become number one in the world for the prevalence of Hepatitis, and that 10,000 mothers die annually during childbirth.
The federal minister stated frankly that Pakistan’s medicine system is “not ideal” and must be improved. He lamented that while the rest of the world is moving towards “lifestyle medicine” (treatment without drugs), Pakistan is still grappling with basic issues.
Critiquing the system, Kamal said that hospitals in the country are focused on “sick care” rather than “healthcare.” He pointed to a root cause, stating, “70% of the diseases we face are spreading simply due to the lack of clean drinking water.”
Discussing future challenges, he expressed fear that even when the world finds cures for cancer, people in Pakistan might still die from it “because an issue of halal/haram will be created over the medicine, leading to a ban on its use.”
The Health Minister also highlighted the massive financial burden of vaccines, which cost one billion dollars in imports annually, and assured that the government is taking effective steps to reform the system.
