Existing Infrastructure of Health care in Pakistan

Pakistan provides healthcare to its citizens through a three-tiered health care infrastructureand a range of public health interventions. The former includes Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs), forming the core of the primary healthcare structure. Secondary care including first and second referral facilities providing acute, ambulatory and inpatient care is provided through Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals (THQs), and District Headquarter Hospitals (DHQs) which are supported by tertiary care from teaching hospitals. There are seven hospitals under the control of Federal Government located in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

The network of health care facilities include 945 hospitals, 5349 BHUs and Sub- Health Centers , 562 RHCs, 4755 Dispensaries, 903 MCH Centers and 290 TB Centers.

But unfortunately , the condition of health care facilities is quite worse than it can be shown through statistics. From above mentioned facilities, only the ones which are in urban areas are operative, rural areas either donot have any proper facility or if it exists its non-operational, or poorly managed. Where as about 75% of Pakistan's population resides in rural areas. A travel of several kilometers and an expense of quite an amout is needed for a patient to visit the doctor , even for mere disease dignosis, which delays a patient visit to doctor, leading to costly complications at a later stage resulting into hospitalizations

[Human Resource Available from 1995 till 2007]
Population per doctor :-

1718 ------- in 1995
1473 ------- in 2000
1350 ------- in 2003
1316 ------- in 2004
1274 ------- in 2005
1251 ------- in 2006
1225 ------- in 2007

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Source : Economic Survey of Pakistan 2007-2008
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