Open AccessStructural Adjustment and Health in Pakistan
Author(s) -
Shahrukh Rafi Khan,
Sajid Kazmi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the lahore journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1811-5446
pISSN - 1811-5438
DOI - 10.35536/lje.1998.v3.i2.a1
Subject(s) - infant mortality , economics , public sector , demographic economics , public health , government (linguistics) , child mortality , development economics , health sector , developing country , economic growth , demography , population , health services , economy , medicine , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , nursing
Government health expenditures as a percentage of GDP havedeclined in Pakistan, though not in absolute real terms, over the structuraladjustment period. Progress over this period is evident on a number of healthindicators. However, Pakistan still lags far behind the means of low incomecountries and South Asian countries in all child survival statistics. In view ofthis, and since the evidence shows a significant and sizeable association ofpublic sector health expenditures and the decline in infant mortality rates,there seems little justification in cutting public sector expenditures.