Pakistan's ongoing economic crisis has severely impacted the country's healthcare system, with patients struggling to access essential medicines. The lack of foreign exchange reserves has hampered Pakistan's ability to import necessary medicines and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) used in local production, leading to local pharmaceutical manufacturers reducing their production.
This has resulted in patients suffering in hospitals, with doctors unable to perform surgeries due to the shortage of drugs and medical equipment. Media reports in Pakistan indicate that operation theatres have less than a two-week stock of anaesthetics needed for sensitive surgeries, including for heart, cancer, and kidney procedures. The situation is also expected to result in job losses in hospitals, further compounding the difficulties for people.
Pakistan's medicine manufacturing industry is highly import-dependent, with almost 95% of drugs requiring raw materials from other nations, including India and China. For most drug manufacturers, imported materials are being held up at the Karachi port due to a shortage of dollars in the banking system. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) recently called for government intervention to prevent the situation from becoming a disaster. However, authorities are still trying to assess the extent of the shortage.
