What is healthcare in Pakistan like?

Facilities and Health Information

Adequate basic non-emergency medical care is available in major Pakistani cities but is limited in rural areas. Facilities in the cities vary in level and range of services, resources, and cleanliness, and U.S. citizens may find them below U.S. standards; facilities in rural areas are consistently below U.S. standards. Medical facilities require prepayment and most do not accept credit cards.

Water is not potable anywhere in Pakistan and sanitation in many restaurants is inadequate. Stomach illnesses are common.

Effective emergency response to personal injury and illness is virtually non-existent in Pakistan. Ambulances are few and are not necessarily staffed by medical personnel. Any emergency case should be transported immediately to a recommended emergency receiving room. Many U.S.-brand medications are not widely available, but generic brands from well-known pharmaceuticals usually are. The quality of the locally produced medications is uneven.

Drinking Water Source - % of rural population improved

89%

Drinking Water Source - % of total population unimproved

8.6%

Drinking Water Source - % of urban population improved

95.7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1%

Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population

People Living with HIV/AIDS

98,000

Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population

.81

Diseases - note

highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds

Sanitation Facility Access - % of total population unimproved

52.4%

Sanitation Facility Access - % of urban population improved

71.8%

Sanitation Facility Access - % of rural population improved

33.6%

Infectious Diseases - degree of risk

high

Food or Waterborne Disease (s)

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne Disease (s)

dengue fever and malaria

Water contact disease (s)

rabies

Disability Access In Pakistan

Accessibility

While in Pakistan, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States. The law provides for equality of the rights of persons with disabilities, but the provisions are not always implemented in practice. Families typically care for most individuals with physical and mental disabilities.

In August 2009, President Zardari launched the "Special Persons-Special Cards" initiative, under which persons with disabilities receive reduced prices for a number of services, including transportation and financial services. The initiative also includes measures to provide disabled persons with greater physical access to public facilities. That said, access for individuals with physical disabilities to public facilities is limited in major cities and almost non-existent outside the population centers.

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