KARACHI: Medical facilities in the country should be upgraded on an urgent basis so that the Pakistani patients don’t need to visit India for treatment, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday.
He said after the recent tension between India and Pakistan many Pakistani patients under treatment in various Indian hospitals were sent back by India which was not only unethical but also an inhuman act. He said we should upgrade our own healthcare facilities to provide better treatment facilities to our patients inside the country.
He said the government should set up centers of excellence in surgery, as mostly surgical treatment is sought abroad. Pakistan despite a population of 250 million people is still lagging behind in medical services compared to many less populous countries. Health should be given top priority by national policy makers, he said.
Altaf Shakoor said availability of top level medical services will save foreign exchange. Our policy makers make tours abroad for medical treatment but they need to keep national interest on top priority. Sophisticated medical surgeries require a high level of investment. Government should provide interest free loans for such facilities, he said.
Recent expulsion of Pakistani nationals by India who went there for medical treatment is inhuman but the global community is silent on this cruelty, he said. He said we spend billions on healthcare every year but still our patients go abroad for medical treatment.
He said increased medical facilities in the country would help increase medical tourism. Top level medical facilities will attract affluent Asians particularly Arabs for medical treatment. He suggested that focus on this area carries human benefits as well as economic sense.
Medical students are currently paying more than ten million Rupees in tuition fees in Pakistan which need to be decreased. Medical treatment facilities and affiliated universities will attract medical students as well for studies and training. He said biomedical engineering and Pharma Indus will grow exponentially with the growth in medical services. Export potential of this industry will give a boost to both manufacturing and services.
He demanded from the federal and provincial health ministers to ensure setting up at least one teaching hospital in every district of Pakistan, which would help provide better treatment facilities to people at their doorstep.
He said the level of existing medical colleges should be increased and more programs should be introduced in them to produce a national supply team of new experts and medical and surgical disciplines.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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