This is apropos a Business Recorder editorial titled ‘Health spending: the cost of neglect’ carried by the newspaper yesterday.
The newspaper has concluded its argument by stating, among other things, that “Pakistan’s health indicators are not merely statistics; they reflect the lived realities of millions of citizens. Unless health — alongside education — is placed at the centre of national development planning and supported by substantially greater public investment, the country will continue to pay a heavy economic and social price for this neglect.”
While fully endorsing or agreeing to the newspaper’s viewpoint, I would like to say that the importance of universal health and education cannot be over-emphasized. Chairman Mao, for example, ensured for his people universal health and education for his people despite the fact that China was then one of the poorest countries in the world. Communist Party of China’s greater focus on investments in basic education and public health helped Deng Xiaoping build modern China.
Samina Kazim (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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