PIMA Criticizes 16% Cut in Federal Health Development Budget, Warns of Long-Term Consequences
Islamabad — The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has voiced serious concern over the federal government’s decision to slash the health development budget for 2025–26 by 16%, warning that the move could significantly weaken Pakistan’s already fragile healthcare infrastructure.
PIMA Central President Prof. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui noted that Pakistan now spends less than 0.9% of its GDP on health—one of the lowest in the region. He said the cut comes at a critical time when the country is grappling with increasing health challenges and limited capacity to respond.
“The reduction will directly impact construction and upgradation of hospitals and Basic Health Units (BHUs), equipment procurement, medical education, and disease surveillance systems,” Prof. Siddiqui said. “While operational expenditures on salaries and administration have gone up, the long-term development of healthcare services has been sidelined.”
He warned that Pakistan continues to face a dual disease burden—rising non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular conditions, alongside persistent threats from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. A decline in development funding, he argued, undermines the country’s preparedness and response mechanisms.
PIMA called on the government to urgently restore and increase the health development budget. Prof. Siddiqui emphasized the need to prioritize both communicable and non-communicable disease control programs, and to invest in medical education and workforce training to build a resilient healthcare system capable of meeting future demands.
