Pakistan, May 14 -- Pakistan's health sector is not merely underperforming - it is steadily eroding under the weight of neglect, underinvestment, and weak governance. In a country of over 240 million people, public health spending remains below 1 per cent of GDP, while a significant share of healthcare costs is borne out-of-pocket. The result is a system where illness often translates into financial catastrophe, and where preventable deaths - particularly among mothers and newborns - remain distressingly common. This is not simply a policy failure; it reflects deeper structural and political neglect.

At the core of the crisis lies the persistent marginalisation of primary healthcare. Basic Health Units remain inadequate in both number an...