ISLAMABAD, Jun 11 (APP): Pakistan has made significant progress in promoting health and well-being by improving healthcare infrastructure and investing in preventive medicine during year 2023-24.
According to the Economic Survey 2023-24 released on Tuesday, by Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s health indicators have shown modest improvement compared to previous years.
Mortality rates and life expectancy at birth indicate progress, and the immunization profile has also improved. Efforts have been made to reduce disparities, improve accessibility, and build resilience against emerging health challenges.
The government is committed to enhancing the health and nutrition of the population and is working towards achieving the SDGs 2030 targets. By addressing these issues through proactive measures and increased investment, the government aims to achieve these targets by 2030, the Economic Survey said.
Significant progress has been made in Pakistan’s health sector, including an increase in life expectancy at birth to 67.3 years in 2022 from 65.7 years in 2015, a decrease in the prevalence of child stunting from 41.4 in 2015 to 34 in 2022, and an expansion of immunization programs nationwide.
This is evident from the rise in Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) immunization from 72 percent of children in 2015 to 85 percent of children aged 12-23 months in 2022.
The healthcare performance of Pakistan is detailed by comparing key indicators from 2021 and 2022 to those of 2015. There has been a significant improvement in all indicators, indicating a better overall profile of Pakistan’s health sector. In 2023, there were 299,113 registered doctors and 36,032 registered dentists, compared to 282,383 doctors and 33,156 dentists in 2022. This represents an increase in the number of registered doctors and dentists by 5.9 percent and 8.7 percent respectively.
