TITLE:
Primary Healthcare System of Pakistan: Challenges to Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes
AUTHORS:
Rashid M. Ansari, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Nicholas Zwar
KEYWORDS:
Type 2 Diabetes, Self-Management, Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes, Primary Health Care System of Pakistan, Challenges to Self-Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.6 No.7,
July
22,
2016
ABSTRACT: This review
article is aimed at describing the primary healthcare system of Pakistan and
its challenges in the face of epidemic of type 2 diabetes, focusing
particularly on the middle-aged population of rural area of Pakistan. The main
concern in Pakistan is that its middle-aged population is facing the onslaught
of obesity and overweight due to lack of physical activity. In addition
unhealthy eating habits making it more difficult for this population to control
their weight. All these factors are contributing to a high risk of type 2
diabetes for the population of Pakistan. This article provides insight into the
primary health care system of Pakistan and highlights its deficiencies by identifying
that its primary healthcare system has a poor utilization of health care
services, the poor accessibility to health system and poor management of
diabetes by the healthcare system, gender disparity and inequity in the health
care system. The primary objective of this study is to provide an overview of
self-management of diabetes among the middle-aged population of Pakistan and to
identify the overall deficiencies in the primary healthcare system, its
delivery and access to the system, barriers to self-management of diabetes and
quality of life in that region.