The luxury of health

In recent months, there has been a considerable decline in the inflation rate. While prices are going up, their pace is manageable. All of this points to stable macroeconomic conditions. But beneath this shiny outlook lies a bleak reality, one that unfortunately affects those who voices are rarely heard. According to recent reports, prices of more than a hundred commonly used medicines have increased by an average of 32 per cent since February 2024, after the caretaker government lifted price controls under its deregulation policy. A couple of months before this, a news report highlighted a dystopian fact: pharmaceutical companies were able to maintain their revenue through an increase in price, not sales volume. What does it mean for a country like ours where people’s purchasing power is diminishing? For people from low- and middle-income households, it means that they have to choose between their medical expenses and other expenses like utilities. This, for a low-income country like ours, this means that people have to leave their medicines on the counter or have to get the quantity lessened since the bills are significantly higher than their budgets.

According to our health minister, medicine prices are "under control”. But for a majority of people, medicine expenses, that should ideally be top priority, are silently sliding down on their list of expenses. And with that, most people here are choosing their day-to-day expenses over their health. The problem with our country is that it just does not pay attention. For instance, the global average life expectancy at birth is 73-74 years. In Pakistan, it is 67.65 years. When managing health becomes a luxury, it cruelly takes away several years from a person’s life. At a time when deregulation was seen as the only solution for the problems faced by pharmaceutical companies, no analysts thought of putting the people first. Following global economic management is appreciated, but all economic concepts must be tailored to a country’s needs. Pakistan cannot have a for-profit system for its healthcare sector; this is a fact. In previous governments, people were deprived of crucial cancer medicines that were available for free at government hospitals in Punjab just because spending on people, the very beneficiary of a democracy, was seen as a burden on the national exchequer.

The relevant authorities have to bring a shift in their approach. Of course, concessions or subsidies cannot run a country and if the production costs are high, the prices will be affected. But the government can ensure that people have means to supplement their income. Or they have access to charity institutes or other government-funded centres where medicines are available either for free or discounted prices. Any sector’s growth or stability should not be fuelled by the pain and helplessness of people. The government must reconsider this policy or chalk out a win-win situation for both businesses and people. Only a healthy Pakistan can become a developed Pakistan.