IN a post-pandemic world, we should know better than to tamper with grave public health issues, particularly fudging figures of a disease. Such an attempt can explode into a health crisis. News about the Punjab health authorities misleading their chief minister with ‘fake reports’ showing low prevalence of the dengue virus in the province is worrisome; scores of general practitioners have reported a drastic rise in dengue fever cases over the past few weeks. This suggests that the vector-borne disease can hit Punjab in the form of an epidemic. Official data from the health department recorded 20 to 25 positive cases of dengue daily. But general physicians say that an astounding 70pc to 80pc of the total number of patients per day have dengue symptoms. This should force the government to realise that tampering with disease figures can have a debilitating impact on public health, and seriously affect campaigns to fight illnesses.

The fragile and overburdened state of Pakistan’s health infrastructure cannot afford the catastrophic consequences of inaccurate accounts of disease incidents. Successive governments have done little to devise long-lasting health strategies that are based on comprehensive research. As a result, sound healthcare is inaccessible and unaffordable for vulnerable populations. It goes without saying that accurate data about diseases and vulnerable populations is essential for researchers to identify, assess, and predict the trajectory of various virus strains and their dynamics. Hence, dubious data prevents governments from saving lives. And mounting cases of infections lead to strained health workers and systems. Lawmakers must focus on eliminating health vulnerabilities: risk factors that force desperate people to turn to quacks, adding to the disease burden, need to be plugged with research and health models that facilitate timely detection, treatment and a preventive line of action. A reform-driven policy is imperative to transform the health sector and health units through funding, programmes and failsafe healthcare delivery.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2024