Pakistan’s healthcare progress amid global challenges to achieve SDG 3

According to the government of Pakistan, our country’s healthcare system comprises public and private sectors, with the government being the primary provider of preventive and basic healthcare services, while the private sector contributes significantly to curative care. Various national health programs have been introduced to address major health issues like maternal and child health, immunization, nutrition, and disease control. Pakistan has made significant progress in major health indicators, reflecting sustained improvements in healthcare delivery and public health outcomes. During the period under review, Pakistan registered steady gains across major health indicators. Life expectancy at birth grew from 66.5 years in 2018 to 67.8 years in 2024, while the prevalence of HIV remained stable at 0.2 percent. Statistics showed that the incidence of tuberculosis remained broadly stable, whereas maternal health enhanced considerably. As per PDHS/PMMS(2019), maternal health also improved, with the maternal mortality ratio falling from 276 to 186 per 100,000 live births As per Pakistan Social Living Standard Measurement Surveys (PSLM), notable progress is also observed in child health, as immunization coverage grew from 68 percent in 2018–19 to 73 percent in 2024–25, alongside reductions in neonatal mortality from 41 to 35 per 1,000 live births and infant mortality from 60 to 47 per 1,000 live births. Overall, these improvements highlight meaningful advancements in maternal and child healthcare and strengthened public health services in the country. No doubt, Pakistan has made steady progress toward achieving SDG 3 — Good Health and WellBeing — despite facing challenges. As per the Sustainable Development Report 2025, Pakistan ranked at 140 out of 167 countries. The maternal mortality and under 5 mortality has shown moderate improvement, reflecting positive developments in maternal health services. Additionally, Pakistan continues its efforts to reduce neonatal mortality and improvement in Universal Health Coverage, still require accelerated action. Our country has made advances in expanding immunization coverage. These achievements underscore Pakistan’s commitment to improving health outcomes and building a resilient healthcare system. Furthermore, investment and steps are in progress to fully meet SDG 3 targets. On the other hand international experts recorded that global progress towards the health and health related SDGs remains uneven and too slow to meet the 2030 targets with fewer than 5 years remaining. In some areas, persistent data gaps mean that progress cannot be adequately assessed. Global long-term declines continue for the infectious diseases: between 2010 and 2024, new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections fell by 40 percent; the tuberculosis incidence rate has dropped 12 percent since 2015; and the number of people who required interventions for neglected tropical diseases fell by 36 percent from 2010. However, global malaria incidence has risen 8.5 percent since 2015, moving further away from the 2030 target. Some regions of WHO have made meaningful progress. The African Region has achieved faster reductions in both new HIV infections and tuberculosis incidence rate (70 percent and 28 percent, respectively) than the global average, and the South-East Asia Region is on track to meet the 2025 milestone of a 75 percent reduction in the malaria incidence rate. Globally in 2024, an estimated 10.7 million people developed tuberculosis. The tuberculosis incidence rate (SDG indicator 3.3.2) was 131 new cases per 100 000 population, a 12 percent decline1 from 150 per 100 000 population in 2015. This decline falls short of the target of the WHO End TB Strategy which is an 80 percent reduction by 2030.

World Health Organization

Presently the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its 2026 global appeal to ensure that millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts can access health care. In 2025, statistics showed that WHO and partners supported 30 million people funded through its annual emergency appeal. These resources helped deliver life-saving vaccination to 5.3 million children, enabled 53 million health consultations, supported more than 8000 health facilities, and facilitated the deployment of 1370 mobile clinics. The 2026 appeal seeks nearly US$ 1 billion to respond to 36 emergencies globally, including 14 Grade 3 emergencies requiring the highest level of organizational response. These emergencies span sudden-onset and protracted humanitarian crises where health needs are critical. The 2026 appeal comes at a time of converging global pressures. Protracted conflicts, the escalating impacts of climate change and recurrent infectious disease outbreaks are driving increasing demand for health emergency support – while global humanitarian financing continues to contract. Furthermore, in 2025, humanitarian funding fell below 2016 levels, leaving WHO and partners able to reach only one-third of the 81 million people originally targeted to receive humanitarian health assistance.