Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has termed the global inequity in health sector as the first and foremost problem and called upon bridging the widening gap between the Global South and the Global North.
Expressing his views in a session of the World Economic Forum regarding global health, he said the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed the existing gaps largely between the Global North and Global South in terms of provision of health facilities and distribution of vaccines.
The Prime Minister said the climate change issue has also completely changed the landscape. He said Pakistan does not contribute even a fraction of emissions but even then it is on the red list of climate change.
He said Pakistan experienced the worst climate change floods in Pakistan in 2022, devastating everything from hospitals, schools, lands and agriculture. He said the government had to invest billions of rupees to rehabilitate people. But when it came to the question of seeking funds from abroad, there were expensive loans. He questioned as to how a developing country can afford that.
Sharing his personal experiences, the Prime Minister said treatment for the fatal disease like cancer is expensive for the poor population of Pakistan. He said that as the Chief Minister of Punjab, he had provided about 130 million inhabitants of the province with best medical treatment initiatives like screening and treatment facility for Hepatitis in the remotest and backward areas of the province.
Shehbaz Sharif further informed that as the former Chief Minister, he also established the first kidney and liver hospital in Punjab which is probably one of the best in Asia where the poor patients are provided with free of cost treatment.
About Dengue outbreak in 2011 in Punjab, he shared that the phenomenon in the health sector was one of the biggest in the world, but the government with the cooperation of civil society and common man
The Prime Minister appreciated the initiatives launched by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the health sector and said that they had been serving the ailing humanity with their kind gestures.
On the occasion, he also commended Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its support and provision of vaccines to eradicate polio from Pakistan.
He also acknowledged Bill Gates’ generosity during the 2022 floods to support the affected people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister also expressed the confidence that Pakistan, with the cooperation of its partners, will soon defeat the poliovirus.
Expressing his views, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed upon collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He shared his concerns over the mortality rates of mothers and children, adding that about 54 countries are still far behind in achieving the SDGs targets. He added that another 4.9 billion people across the globe have no access to basic services.
Other participants opined that the conflicts in the world are increasing and impacting the health sector requirements and stressed that resource-rich countries should assist the communities in need.
They underlined the need for more investment in the health sector.
