Health crises.

THE past year proved to be injurious to the collective health of Pakistanis. The already paltry federal health budget was further slashed by half as the challenge appeared to worsen with several disease outbreaks - eg, dengue, HIV/AIDS, XDR-typhoid and polio. This was also pointed out by the Pakistan Medical Association in a statement issued on the first day of the new year. It is evident that much of the deteriorating state of the nation's health can be attributed to government negligence. So much could have been avoided. Had the government taken timely measures, the aftermath of the 2019 monsoon would not have seen such high numbers of dengue cases in Punjab and Sindh or XDR-typhoid in the latter province.

According to the PMA, more than 50,000 cases of dengue fever were reported across the country in 2019, nearly double the figure in the preceding decade. Meanwhile, in August alone, as many as 4,700 cases of XDR-typhoid were reported in Sindh with 3,000 in Karachi - the authorities would have done well to launch a vaccination drive in the city, and not only in schools. There were also...

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