A healthcare system is one of the most essential pillars of any country. The primary role of a healthcare system is to ensure that all people get the best available health facilities in a timely, acceptable, affordable, and accessible manner. However, for a healthcare system to function as such, it requires proper infrastructure and financial support. To a large extent, the healthcare system in Pakistan is facing several challenges. There is a massive shortage of hospitals, doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff. Most life-saving medications are too expensive for people to afford. Now and then, there is a shortage of medicines in the market. Above all, there exists a lack of trust in the healthcare system, which gives way to the ever-increasing quackery in the country. Two parallel systems exist in the healthcare system of Pakistan. One consists of public hospitals, and the other consists of private hospitals. The former is short even of basic healthcare facilities, and the latter is too costly for the people of Pakistan to afford. Solutions to the stumbling and compromised healthcare system of Pakistan are adequate financial support and infrastructure development. Stakeholders need to invest in the healthcare system; otherwise, the healthcare system in Pakistan will continue fighting for its survival rather than improving and competing with the healthcare systems of other nations in the region.
Keywords: challenges in healthcare; global healthcare systems; healthcare inequality; healthcare strategy; integrated healthcare.
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