KARACHI:Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Leader Sharmila Farooqui on Monday urged the federal government to raise the country’s health budget upto 6 percent of GDP as per WHO standard so as to combat all viral diseases, including coronavirus, effectively and efficiently.
“Pakistan is spending less than one percent of GDP on the health which is very lowest in view of WHO benchmark. The country’s spending on the health has been recorded at 0.5 to 0.8 percent of its GDP over the last 10 years. These allocations are less than the WHO bench mark of at least 6 percent of GDP required to provide basic and lifesaving services in the country. The WHO recommends that the health budget of any country should be 6 percent of GDP,” she said in a statement issued in connection with the World Health Day being observed on April 7.
She informed that the percentage-wise health budget allocations of some countries as compared to their respective GDPs are as: US 16.9%, Switzerland 12.3%, Germany 12.2%, Germany 11.2%, France 11.2%, Sweden 11%, Japan 10.9%, Canada 10.7%, and UK 9.8%. Seeing these health allocations, it is clear that we are very far away from these allocation and need to raise the country budget by many folds.
She said that all provinces after devolution also need to raise their respective budgets in view of WHO standard, however, last year, Sindh government took health department among its three top priorities and raised its budget by 19 percent, which is significant progress in the health sector. Sindh is sole province which has taken coronavirus issue seriously by imposing lockdown in Karachi to save millions of people of all provinces.
She said that the 7 April 2020 is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy. “This World Heath Day is focusing on the vital role played by nurses and midwives in providing healthcare around the world and calling for strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce. We need to protect our all medical force by providing them self-protective equipment against the coronavirus. Due to climate change, more viruses like corona could hit the world in future, so we should prepare to tackle any future possible catastrophe of the virus, she added.
She also urged the federal government to devise a long-term strategy comprising multi-billion rupees funding to control all viral disease in Pakistan that has suffered a great deal from these infectious diseases. Emerging infectious diseases caused by viruses pose a serious threat to public health and economy in Pakistan because of limited health budgets, she said.
Sharmila said: “Time has come to shun all political differences so as to save country people from deadly viral diseases including novel coronavirus. The coronavirus cases in the country had crossed 3,278 figure and 48 people had died till today and the situation was turning from bad to worst. ”
The PPP leader said that there was need to combat all viral diseases including corona, Ebola, viral hepatitis, Zika, Chikungunya, Cholera, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, Hendra virus infection, Influenza , Lassa fever, Marburg virus disease, Meningitis, MERS-CoV, Monkeypox, Nipah virus infection, Plague, Rift Valley fever, SARS, Smallpox, Tularaemia, Yellow fever, Viral Hepatitis, and Zika virus disease. The best defense against any outbreak is a strong health system. COVID-19 is revealing how fragile many of the world’s health systems and services are, forcing countries to make difficult choices on how to best meet the needs of their people, she said.
She informed that the world was facing challenge to control viral diseases including novel coronavirus, Ebola virus disease, Viral Hepatitis, Zika virus disease, Chikungunya, Cholera, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Hendra virus infection, Influenza , Lassa fever, Marburg virus disease, Meningitis, MERS-CoV, Monkeypox, Nipah virus infection, Plague, Rift Valley fever, SARS, Smallpox, Tularaemia, Yellow fever, Viral Hepatitis, and Zika virus disease.
Sharmila said that the COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow). At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments.