ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal on Monday said that the healthcare system in Pakistan was far from ideal.

“Globally, the focus of healthcare has changed — it is no longer about treating illness but about preventing people from getting sick in the first place,” he said while addressing the participants of Pharmacovigilance Workshop.

He underscored the urgent need to shift Pakistan’s health system from a treatment-based model to one centered on prevention, awareness, and lifestyle improvement.

Mr Kamal noted that countries around the world have adopted lifestyle medicine, a system that promoted wellness without overreliance on medicines.

“The world has committed itself to systems that protect people from becoming patients. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s medical infrastructure remains in a state of decline,” he remarked.

He emphasised that true healthcare begins outside hospital walls, starting with environmental and preventive measures.

“Due to the lack of a functional healthcare system, our hospitals are overburdened with patients. Seventy percent of diseases in Pakistan are caused by contaminated water. If clean drinking water were available, hospital loads would drop by at least 70 percent,” the minister said.

He pointed out the critical need for a comprehensive sewage treatment system, stating, “From Gilgit-Baltistan to Karachi, our water sources are spreading diseases. Local-level sewage treatment systems are essential if we are to improve public health.”

Discussing future trends in healthcare, he said, “Within the next ten years, the world will have overcome cancer. Yet, we risk remaining entangled in debates over whether vaccines are permissible or not.”

Mr. Kamal expressed deep concern over Pakistan’s high burden of hepatitis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, noting that the country ranked among the highest globally for these conditions.

He announced that the Ministry of Health was establishing a modern Healthcare Management System at the National Institute of Health to strengthen service delivery and monitoring mechanisms.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2025