Protecting Pakistan's health during the global economic crisis

R. Jooma, A. Khan, A. A. Khan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The world is facing an unprecedented global economic crisis, with many countries needing to reconsider their level of health care spending. This paper explores the many consequences of the global economic turndown on Pakistan's health, including reduced government and donor spending and increased poverty with the consequent diversion of funds away from health. Nevertheless, these challenges may provide opportunities not only to mitigate the adverse effects of the economic crisis but also to institute some muchneeded reforms that may not receive political support during more affluent times. Our suggestions focus on setting priorities based on the national disease burden, prioritizing prevention interventions, demanding results, curbing corruption, experimenting with innovative funding mechanisms, advocating for increased funding by presenting health spending as an investment rather than an expense and by selected recourse to civil society interventions and philanthropy to bridge the gap between available and needed resources.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)287-293
Number of pages7
JournalEastern Mediterranean Health Journal
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2012

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