Delivering Better Health Services to Pakistan's Poor
Pakistan is not on track to achieve most Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health, nutrition and population. Given its current rate of progress, in 2015 Pakistan's infant mortality rate (IMR) will be 65 deaths per 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) will be 78, considerably above the MDG4 targets of 33 and 43 deaths per 1000 births respectively. Pakistan will not achieve the MDG related to nutrition. The review aims to develop a limited set of practical options that will allow the government and other stakeholders to improve the availability and use of health services, especially for the poor. The report mainly focuses on synthesizing the available body of knowledge through review of existing studies, reports and research. The report starts with a description of the health and nutrition status of the population, Pakistan's fertility and growth rates and potential to benefit from a demographic dividend, the burden of diseases and trends in the past few years. The second and third chapters describe the performance of the public health care system over time, including coverage and utilization, quality of care, equity, and patient satisfaction and the impact of national programs. Chapter four discusses the financing of the sector, including overall trends, and the composition of public and private expenditures. Chapter five describes the organization and management of the sector and examines the role of government. Chapter six concludes by summarizing the key challenges facing the sector and suggesting a way forward.
Summary: | Pakistan is not on track to achieve most
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health,
nutrition and population. Given its current rate of
progress, in 2015 Pakistan's infant mortality rate
(IMR) will be 65 deaths per 1,000 live births and the
under-five mortality rate (U5MR) will be 78, considerably
above the MDG4 targets of 33 and 43 deaths per 1000 births
respectively. Pakistan will not achieve the MDG related to
nutrition. The review aims to develop a limited set of
practical options that will allow the government and other
stakeholders to improve the availability and use of health
services, especially for the poor. The report mainly focuses
on synthesizing the available body of knowledge through
review of existing studies, reports and research. The report
starts with a description of the health and nutrition status
of the population, Pakistan's fertility and growth
rates and potential to benefit from a demographic dividend,
the burden of diseases and trends in the past few years. The
second and third chapters describe the performance of the
public health care system over time, including coverage and
utilization, quality of care, equity, and patient
satisfaction and the impact of national programs. Chapter
four discusses the financing of the sector, including
overall trends, and the composition of public and private
expenditures. Chapter five describes the organization and
management of the sector and examines the role of
government. Chapter six concludes by summarizing the key
challenges facing the sector and suggesting a way forward. |
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