KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has issued a stark warning that Pakistan is drifting into a full-scale public health emergency, arguing that soaring inflation, worsening food insecurity, chronic underinvestment in preventive healthcare, and an accelerating exodus of healthcare professionals are placing the country’s health security at serious risk.
In a strongly worded statement analyzing the federal health budget for FY2026-27, the PMA said the government continues to prioritize infrastructure-heavy healthcare spending while failing to adequately address what it describes as a rapidly worsening maternal and child nutrition crisis affecting millions of vulnerable families.
According to the association, rising food prices and shrinking household purchasing power have forced many low-income families to abandon balanced diets, leaving pregnant women and young children increasingly deprived of proteins, iron, vitamins, and other essential nutrients required for healthy growth and development.
Inflation, food insecurity fueling a nutrition crisis
The PMA said healthcare professionals across Pakistan are witnessing the consequences of worsening food insecurity in clinics and hospitals.
Doctors are increasingly reporting cases of low-birth-weight infants born to malnourished mothers, severe weight loss among children, and nutritional deficiencies that can permanently affect physical growth, cognitive development, educational outcomes, and future economic productivity.
The association warned that chronic undernutrition has become one of the country's most serious public health challenges, noting that more than one-third of Pakistani children under the age of five continue to experience stunting, a condition linked to long-term developmental impairment.
According to PMA, the effects of malnutrition extend far beyond childhood and can create lifelong health, educational, and economic disadvantages that place additional burdens on families, healthcare systems, and national development.
PMA questions federal health spending priorities
The association expressed concern that the newly announced federal allocation of approximately Rs53.3 billion for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C) does not adequately address these growing challenges.
According to PMA's assessment, a significant portion of federal health spending continues to be directed toward hospital services, administrative structures, large infrastructure projects, and tertiary-care facilities, while preventive healthcare programs receive comparatively limited resources.
The association highlighted that public health services receive only a small share of the overall allocation despite the growing burden of malnutrition, communicable diseases, and population health challenges.
PMA argued that effective health security requires substantial investment not only in hospitals and specialized treatment centers but also in prevention, nutrition, disease surveillance, community health programs, and primary healthcare systems.
Disease prevention programs face funding concerns
The association also raised concerns about allocations for disease prevention and public health preparedness.
According to PMA, limited funding for workforce development, infectious disease control, and surveillance programs may leave Pakistan vulnerable to recurring public health threats, including measles outbreaks, dengue, Mpox, polio, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, and other communicable diseases.
The organization warned that prevention remains significantly more cost-effective than treating advanced disease and emphasized that strong public health systems serve as the first line of defense against future outbreaks.
Brain drain continues to weaken healthcare system
Beyond budget concerns, PMA said Pakistan's healthcare workforce is facing mounting pressures that continue to drive medical professionals overseas.
The association cited inadequate compensation, unsafe working conditions, limited postgraduate training opportunities, and rising living costs as major factors contributing to the migration of doctors, specialists, and nurses.
According to PMA, continued workforce losses are creating staffing shortages in hospitals and healthcare facilities, placing additional strain on an already stretched healthcare system.
The organization warned that retaining skilled healthcare professionals must become a national priority if Pakistan hopes to improve healthcare delivery and achieve long-term health system resilience.
Call for urgent reforms
The PMA has urged the federal and provincial governments to implement immediate corrective measures aimed at strengthening health security and protecting vulnerable populations.
Among its key recommendations are increasing public healthcare spending to at least 3% of GDP in the near term and 5% by 2030, expanding investments in maternal, neonatal, and child nutrition programs, strengthening Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs), improving working conditions for healthcare professionals, and enhancing funding for disease surveillance and pandemic preparedness.
The association also called for targeted food support measures for low-income households to address worsening nutritional deficiencies among women and children.
Health security requires prevention, not just hospitals
The PMA concluded that Pakistan cannot achieve sustainable health security through infrastructure development alone.
While acknowledging the importance of specialized hospitals and advanced medical facilities, the association stressed that public health outcomes depend equally on nutrition, preventive care, disease control, workforce development, and strong primary healthcare systems.
The organization warned that unless policymakers shift greater attention toward prevention and population health, the country risks facing long-term consequences from malnutrition, workforce shortages, and preventable disease burdens that could affect generations to come.
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