Web Desk: Pakistan’s healthcare system is facing growing pressure as cuts in foreign aid threaten critical health programmes, according to a new report released by Tabadlab.
The report warns that declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) could severely disrupt essential healthcare services, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV-AIDS treatment, and immunisation programmes across Pakistan.
Titled Beyond Dependence: Understanding the Impact of ODA Cuts on Pakistan’s Health System, the study reveals that the country’s health sector is struggling not only with funding shortages but also with the breakdown of key operational functions supported by international donors.
The report was authored by Shahab Siddiqi, Behzad Taimur, and Syeda Farwa Qamar Jaffri after consultations with public health experts, government officials, and development practitioners from across Pakistan.
According to the findings, donor cuts are affecting medicine procurement, vaccine supply, diagnostic services, health logistics, and specialised staffing, areas that are not fully covered by domestic health budgets.
The report states that the suspension of USAID-backed projects led to the closure of more than 60 healthcare facilities, impacting nearly 1.7 million people. It further noted that a USD 27.2 million reduction in Global Fund support weakened TB monitoring operations in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reduced diagnostic testing capacity, and threatened treatment services for thousands of HIV patients.
Health experts cited in the report warned that the situation could worsen if Pakistan fails to introduce effective transition strategies as global donor assistance continues to decline.
“Pakistan’s public sector mainly funds salaries and infrastructure, while donor agencies support vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and supply chains,” the report noted, adding that the loss of international funding directly weakens the operational backbone of health programmes.
Pakistan currently allocates only 0.9 percent of its GDP to healthcare, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 5 percent. The report also highlighted that grant-based international assistance to Pakistan has dropped by 59 percent since 2017, while global ODA is expected to decline further in 2026.
The report recommended urgent reforms, including the creation of a National Health Financing Forum, establishment of a national ODA registry, and development of a risk assessment system to identify vulnerable healthcare functions.
It also called for increased public health spending, flexible procurement mechanisms, and the integration of disease-specific programmes into Pakistan’s broader primary healthcare system to ensure long-term sustainability.
