Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hospitals Face Doctor Shortage

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa currently employs just 8,024 doctors, despite hosting a population of over 40 million people. This translates to roughly one doctor per 5,000 to 6,000 residents—a shortage that has led to numerous government health facilities becoming non-functional across the province. In addition to this, public hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also grappling with a severe shortage of beds.

Currently, there are only 18,432 beds available, whereas the population's requirement stands at approximately 64,000. Consequently, hospitals find themselves lacking over 45,000 beds, providing less than a third of the capacity needed.

The World Health Organization suggests a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1,000. According to this benchmark, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would necessitate around 40,000 doctors, which is nearly five times the current count. Lt. Gen. (R) Nigar Johar, the KP Health Adviser, disclosed during a briefing that the government plans to amend the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) Act and conduct hospital audits.

She also affirmed that the Sehat Card program would not be discontinued; instead, its shortcomings will be addressed, and the scheme will be enhanced. Recently, the province decided to carry out a financial audit of the Sehat Card program. Earlier, the provincial government also initiated fast-track construction of new hospitals; however, the latest figures underscore the significant gap between demand and the available medical care.