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OOP health expenditures

IF health is a human right, then the inability to pay for essential healthcare should not be a barrier. This is why financial protection for healthcare is an integral component…

Right to reproductive health

AS women, many of us have traversed through the uncomfortable changes brought on by puberty with an incomplete understanding of their meaning and consequences; we often braved, sometimes challenging, pregnancies…

The national fiscal pact

A new important piece in the legal domain of Pakistan’s public finance management system is the National Fiscal Pact (NFP), which reportedly all four provinces have now signed onto. The…

Whither health & environment?

THE fact that the health and climate ministries were not included in the first round of cabinet oath-taking, is a sad reflection on the priority given to the well-being of…

Mental health and justice

FORENSIC psychiatry, the nexus between psychology and law, has undergone a transformation within Pakistan’s judicial system. Arising from the foundations set by the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Criminal…

Floods and mental health

THE theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day, which falls on Monday (Oct 10), is ‘Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority’. For Pakistan, the theme…

Healthy opportunity

NEXT week, the UN is convening three high-level meetings on universal health coverage (UHC), tuberculosis (TB) and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR) at its 78th General Assembly session. These…

Champion of people’s health

DR Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away in Dhaka on April 11, 2023, after an inspiring life. He dedicated himself to the healthcare and development of the poor and voiceless, becoming their…

Reimagining healthcare

IN the face of stark adversity, a drop of ‘re-imagination’ has fallen in the stagnant, stinky waters; stirring them, and creating the first small ripples. I hope the ripples grow…

A win for mental health

ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation, last year approximately 20,000 Pakistanis died by suicide, with over 120,000 people attempting it. Suicide is a complication of mental illness which can only…