Status of General Practice and Challenges to Healthcare System of Pakistan

This article provides insight into the status of general practice in Pakistan and challenges to its health care system. The country ranked 122nd on the overall health system attainment and ranked 7th in the world on diabetes prevalence. The public sector health care system in Pakistan is encountered with many problems such as structural fragmentation, resource scarcity, inefficiency and lack of functional specificity, gender insensitivity and inaccessibility. The general practice status in Pakistan requires immediate attention to face the challenges created by chronic diseases in the country. Of particular mention are the patient-doctor interaction, healthcare system delivery, access to the doctors and better utilization of primary health care services.