Should Healthcare in Pakistan be a Matter of Opportunity?

A resident of Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi, 40 year old Sabra has been a regular visitor to MediHealth-1 for over a year. Sabra is a mother of five and her husband is a day laborer who is currently unemployed. Of Sabra’s four sons, one is disabled and unable to walk; another in school and two working as mechanics at a local workshop. Rising prices and security threats have caused high unemployment rates and a large number of Karachi’s slum dwellers are out of work. Still, lucky to have jobs and a household income, in the past Sabra’s family had to choose between food to eat and a visit to the doctor.

The Latif Kapadia Memorial Welfare Trust’s MediHealth clinics are seeking to fill this gap in Karachi’s social fabric by providing low cost healthcare facilities in those areas of the city where it is negligible.

“I come to the clinic because I can afford it,” says Sabra. “This clinic is at walking distance from my home and charges Rs. 30 per visit so I can afford to get treatment. Other clinics in the area are very expensive, charging Rs. 200 or more per visit. They are at a distance also, so I have to pay an additional amount for bus fare. With a family of seven and such rising prices, it’s hard enough to get by let alone afford to be healthy. I am grateful for this facility.”