Pakistan's Healthcare System Strained by Shrinking Foreign Aid

Pakistan's healthcare system is grappling with a critical situation exacerbated by global reductions in development assistance, which are defunding vital life-saving programs. Experts in Pakistan are increasingly worried as the effects become starkly visible on the ground.

In Karachi's Lyari area, health worker Amna Sualeh notes a dramatic price hike for reproductive health services. Previously, IUD insertions cost around Rs500 with donor support, but now they can cost up to Rs10,000 in private clinics, placing them out of reach for many working-class mothers. This financial barrier forces women to skip essential visits or resort to unsafe alternatives, while others stop seeking care altogether due to shrinking incomes amid Pakistan's macroeconomic crisis.

This trend is widespread across the provinces, as overseas development assistance, once a cornerstone of the public health system, is contracting sharply. Pakistan enters the mid-21st century with its health system already under immense pressure. The country allocates only 0.9 percent of its GDP to public health, significantly below the WHO's benchmark of 5 percent for universal health coverage.

These figures translate into stark realities: life expectancy stands at 67.3 years, four years below the South Asian average. Infant and maternal mortality rates remain stubbornly high at 50.1 deaths per 1,000 live births and 155 deaths per 100,000 live births, respectively, more than double the rates in neighboring Bangladesh and Nepal. These outcomes underscore chronic underinvestment, rigid budgetary structures, and a system historically dependent on foreign aid for crucial functions that domestic resources have not adequately covered.

“

Before, with donor support, we could perform IUD insertions for just Rs500. Now it costs up to Rs10,000 in private clinics. Many simply can’t afford it anymore.