Page 33 - CMA Journal (May-June 2025)

Healthcare Challenges and Business
Focus Section

Sustainability in Pakistan

Pakistan is said to be continuously progressing towards existing workforce,
Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good Health and further decreasing
Well-being, and SDG 2 – Zero Hunger. This was reported in their productivity,
the Economic Survey of Pakistan in the 2024-25 edition. work output, and
However, business sustainability challenges for healthcare motivation—
continue to rise due to the declining quality of infrastructure directly impacting
and lack of resources. Although progress has been made, patient experience.
the far-flung interior and rural regions of Pakistan still find 4) Disparity of Access
healthcare to be an unreachable luxury. Business in Rural
sustainability for this sector, therefore, remains vulnerable.
Communities -
Key Challenges Facing Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector Medical assistance
is readily available
Pakistan’s healthcare industry is among the most to people in major
underappreciated sectors. Insufficient government funding, metropolitan cities Faraz Ahmad Memon, FCMA
a rising population, and weak infrastructure are some of the such as Karachi, Director, Risk Management &
major indicators. Let’s briefly look at the current challenges: Costing, Patel Hospital, Karachi
Lahore, and
1) Insufficient Funding - In 2024, only 0.9% of the total Islamabad.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was allocated to the However, patients from rural areas such as interior
healthcare sector. This is much lower than the World Sindh or Punjab, or remote villages of Balochistan,
Health Organization (WHO) recommended 5%. It is one Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit- Baltistan continue to
of the weakest in the South Asian region. suffer due to a lack of proper transportation and the
The inadequate financial resources result in a lack of unavailability of local healthcare centers.
hospital facilities, outdated equipment, and scarce Women, children, marginalized communities, and
medical supplies. This shortage causes a huge gap in minorities in particular face disparity and bias. Their
the demand and supply of medical assistance for the situation is far more stringent due to cultural customs,
public. In addition, public healthcare centers lack basic remoteness, and financial constraints. Timely access
amenities such as diagnostic tools, testing equipment, to healthcare and medical assistance almost feels like
and even life-saving drugs.
a burden.
2) Scarcity of Qualified Healthcare Professionals - The
ratio of medical personnel (doctors, nurses, paramedics) to Business sustainability in the healthcare industry can
patients is drastically low in Pakistan. The only be achieved if these challenges are strategically
doctor-to-patient ratio is reported to be 1:1,300 and the addressed. People must never be deprived of a basic
nurse-to-patient ratio is 1:50. These figures are far below right such as healthcare.
WHO recommendations of 1:1,000 and 1:10, respectively. The accountability and responsibility to establish
Such an unreasonable divide compromises the quality of accessible healthcare for all remain with the state.
healthcare services and staff performance. The workforce Factors such as geographical or financial situations of
is likely to be exhausted due to long hours and may face patients should never become a hindrance when it
burnout. This eventually leads to incompetence, comes to their health and well-being.
diagnostic errors, inadequate medical treatment, poor 5) Energy Crisis - The energy crisis is at the center of the
patient care, and employee turnover. As a result, people economic downfall happening in Pakistan. Achieving
start losing trust and confidence in healthcare and maintaining business sustainability in the presence
professionals and the system. The shortage of medical of an energy shortfall is nothing but a far-fetched
staff also results in increased waiting times, compromised daydream. In the midst of it, the healthcare sector also
quality, and sometimes insufficient attention.
takes the plunge. Frequent load-shedding and
3) Barriers to Medical Education and Training - increasing electricity costs prevent hospitals from
Unfortunately, the current capacity of medical operating at full potential.
practitioners is insufficient and not in line with the For hospitals to smoothly carry out their services,
country’s population growth. Several factors contribute
to this, such as a lack of medical schools and instability continuous electricity supply is imperative. Unexpected
in regulatory bodies. Moreover, medical students are power outages can result in irreversible damages such
not provided with enough practical experience in the as operation theatre fatalities and life-threatening
latest equipment and treatment techniques. The conditions. Hospitals switch to alternate energy sources
workforce that enters the mainstream remains such as generators to manage the power crisis.
unequipped, untrained, and unprepared to cope with Although it provides a plausible solution, it comes with
a cost—the burden of which must be borne by patients
present-day problems. The burden then falls on the
as an additional service fee.
ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, May-June 2025 31