PESHAWAR (The COW News Digital) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing a serious shortage of doctors, with only 8,024 medical professionals available to serve a population of more than 40 million, leaving approximately one doctor for every 5,000 to 6,000 residents.
The healthcare situation in the province has raised concerns over the availability of medical services, particularly in areas where access to government hospitals and healthcare facilities remains limited.
more than 200 government healthcare facilities of different categories across the province are currently non-functional, further adding to the pressure on the existing healthcare system.
The report also highlighted a significant shortage of hospital beds. Government hospitals across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa currently have 18,432 beds, whereas approximately 64,000 beds are estimated to be required to meet the healthcare needs of the provincial population.
The gap between available resources and actual requirements reflects the growing challenges facing public healthcare infrastructure in the province.
With millions of people depending on government hospitals for medical treatment, the shortage of doctors, hospital beds and operational healthcare facilities has raised questions about the capacity of the existing system to meet public demand.
Meanwhile, Adviser on Health Lieutenant General (Retired) Nigar Johar has outlined several proposed measures to improve healthcare services during a briefing.
She said the government had decided to introduce amendments to the Medical Teaching Institutions Reform Act and conduct audits of hospitals to improve their administration and performance.
The proposed reforms are also aimed at addressing management-related issues within medical teaching institutions and improving accountability across the public healthcare sector.
Regarding the Sehat Card programme, the health adviser said existing shortcomings would be addressed and the initiative further improved to provide better healthcare facilities to the public.
The proposed measures come amid increasing pressure on the provincial government to strengthen medical infrastructure and ensure the availability of essential healthcare services.
The doctor shortage, inactive medical facilities and shortage of hospital beds remain major challenges for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting the need for improved healthcare planning, recruitment and investment in public hospitals.
