Abstract :
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bond of bilateral cooperation between China and
Pakistan to enhance economic growth of both the countries. As far as Pakistan is concerned, CPEC
is one of the supreme strategies to modernize Pakistani infrastructure and to empower Pakistani
economic growth in terms of transportation, energy, and numerous industrial reforms. Economic
growth is considered a determinant of population health. It has been noted, “Wealthier nations are
healthier nations” as they spend more on preventive medicine and on healthcare delivery. Hence,
economic gains from CPEC development can flow into health gains as well.
Proposal of “China-Pakistan Health Corridor (CPHC)” can be an integral part of CPEC. Pak-
China Friendship Hospital at Gwadar has already been planned with $100 budget to provide
healthcare services to citizens of Gwadar and to people working at the port. (1) An emergency
hospital by Red Cross Society of China is already operational at Gwadar.
Punjab is the largest province of Pakistan by population accommodating 53% of country’s
population. Health department of Punjab utilized PKR 111 billion at 145 hospitals and 2461 basic
health units. (2) But still Punjab’s hospitals lack of competent healthcare professionals, availability
of compulsory medical equipment and health information management system. District
Headquarter Hospital Gwadar dwindled its doctors from eighteen to 5 in early 2018. (3) On the
other hand, China has three million medical practitioners, 0.8 million surgeons and six million
nurses in 27600 hospitals. It may be of interest that there are 46 surgical robots are operational in
teaching hospitals of China. (1) Thus, there is a need to establish healthcare facilities along CPEC
route. Establishment of such healthcare facilities will not only be a health security to goods
transporters of the route but also improve tourism along the belt.
Moreover, CPHC will encourage health market in both the countries. For instance, pharmaceutical
cooperation between the countries will make cheaper raw materials available for pharmaceutical
companies in Pakistan, ensuring cost-effective drug treatments in Pakistan. Moreover, bilateral
cooperation through research and joint collaborations will help improve bioengineering, data
analytics and rapid flow of information between the countries, coping with health challenges faced
health department of Pakistan. (4)
Briefly, CPEC is a blessing for the region where healthcare system will get a boost along with
economic growth. Therefore, Pakistan should not miss any chance of healthcare improvement
through CPEC.
Keyword :
CPEIC, hEALTHCARE