Pima Convention tackles Pakistan’s rising healthcare burden

IV Report

KARACHI: The 27th biennial convention of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) kicked off at the Karachi Expo Centre on September 21, highlighting the increasing costs of treatments and emphasising prevention measures and healthy lifestyles.

The medical conference drew a large participation of doctors, healthcare professionals, medical faculties, and students from Pakistan and abroad. Experts discussed infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), genetic diseases, safe drinking water, sanitation, and medical curricula.

They noted that quality medical care is becoming unaffordable due to rising costs and NCDs, including cancers and genetic disorders. "Disease prevention is crucial, focusing on protective vaccinations, health education, and screening for early detection," the experts added.

There were observations that scarcity of clean drinking water and proper sanitation was also adding to the waterborne illnesses like cholera and diarrhea.

Medical curriculum with bioethics: Prof Tariq Rafi, Chairman, Sindh Higher Education Commission, expressed concern over the reported lack of empathy in the country’s healthcare system. "Pakistani medical education institutions are producing good doctors, but they are not becoming good human beings,” he added, fearing a prevailing "pharma-physician nexus" as a major problem.

He called for an expanded medical curriculum that includes bioethics and literature to foster greater empathy among future healthcare professionals.

Joining the moot from the United States, Khalil ur Rehman Chishti, called for “a well-rounded education, rooted in both religious and scientific thought”, necessary for progress in today's world.

He urged Muslim physicians to pursue both religious and scientific knowledge, emphasising that historically, Islamic scholars were also masters in various fields, including the Quran, Hadith, philosophy, and the sciences.

Prevention over treatment: Newly appointed central president of PIMA, Prof Atif Hafeez, stressed the need for prioritizing prevention over treatment. “Scores of ailments can be prevented with simple precautionary measures, lifestyle modifications, and other interventions,” he added, echoing the overarching theme of the convention.

Prof Teepu Siddique, a noted American-Pakistani neurologist, highlighted the growing burden of genetic and lifestyle diseases in Pakistan, calling it “unbearable.”

He stated that people in Pakistan are suffering from preventable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and diarrhea, which can be avoided with simple lifestyle changes, clean drinking water, and timely vaccinations.

Pharma-physician nexus: Speaking during a session on pharmaceutical industries’ relationship with physicians, Asim Rauf, CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), shared that the Authority has asked companies to provide details of their spending. “If any evidence is found of unethical practices, we will take stringent action.”

Haroon Qasim, former Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association and Managing Director of PharmEvo, appreciated the guidelines prepared by PIMA on the physician-pharma relationship. “It is encouraging and a step toward transparency.”

A former special assistant to the government on health, Dr Zafar Mirza noted that only 1% of the country’s GDP is allocated to healthcare, far below the recommended 5%. “Most of the out-of-pocket spending by the public, around 70-80%, is on primary healthcare, which should be part of the universal health coverage program,” he suggested.

The convention will continue on Sunday at Expo Center, featuring detailed sessions on diabetes, orthopedics, rheumatology, artificial intelligence in healthcare, neurology, psychiatry, and ethical issues in healthcare.