KARACHI: Representatives of various political parties on Saturday spoke over their parties’ priorities vis-à-vis healthcare in the country, Sindh in particular, which they would make part of their manifestos for the upcoming general elections.

The programme hosted by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) at PMA House was aimed at giving an opportunity to the political parties taking part in the elections to inform the public about their future priorities regarding the existing healthcare system.

PMA secretary general Dr Qaisar Sajjad said prioritising prevention side was the need of the hour as it had been neglected by the respective governments in the past; as a result huge funds were being spent on curing ailments.

PMA calls for prioritising prevention side of healthcare

He said waterborne and vector-based diseases were alarmingly on the rise, which could cause further damage to the life and economic conditions of the people in future, if more investments were not made on the prevention side of the healthcare system.

He said the governments had been avoiding to keep six per cent of the GDP in their budgets for health, which had been a long-standing demand of the PMA and other local and international healthcare bodies.

‘All politicians should get treatment at govt hospitals’

He demanded that all politicians and bureaucrats should get their treatment at the government hospitals instead of flying abroad.

He said their act clearly showed that they had no trust in the healthcare institutions they had been governing.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior leader Taj Haider said his party, which had ruled Sindh for the past decade and was again confident to win Sindh in the coming general elections, apart from several other radical measures had formed the Sindh Healthcare Commission, which, he added, would be made completely autonomous when the PPP would form its government again after the vote.

He said his party had invested heavily in improving the healthcare system, which included expanding facilities of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), more grants for the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, improving hospitals’ performance in districts and greater attention to the health delivery system in Thar and other underprivileged districts.

He said the successful experiment of public-private partnership had given “great” results.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Arif Alvi said his party had prepared its manifesto with the help of the PMA and other professional bodies and individuals, which would be further improved for its election manifesto.

He said his party would accord further attention to investing on prevention side of the health system.

He said political will was the greatest virtue to be applied in getting greater results.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Nikhat Shakeel, a former MNA, said her party had been stressing on improving the prevention side of the healthcare system and would give priority to it in its election manifesto.

She said Sindh deserved a better hand in healthcare spectrum and the MQM would be striving for it.

Pak Sarzameen Party’s Khawar Malik said his party’s key agenda was based on effective governance. He said instead of increasing budgetary allocations, governance should be improved.

He said separate health policies be devised for rural and urban areas as per their conditions and requirements.

Jamaat-i-Islami’s Mairajul Huda Siddiqui said despite lapse of 20 years the country was still waiting for a health survey. He said challenges to the country regarding its vulnerability in healthcare system should be seen seriously. He said 40 per cent of Pakistanis fell victim to non-communicable diseases.

MQM’s former senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said no political party could be able to implement its manifesto that they had publicised during the last election campaign. He demanded transparency in improving the health profile of the country.

Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen’s Allama Ali Abidi and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s Shahnaz Begum also spoke.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018