Local to Global Human Development

Nurturing Tomorrow: Exploring the Impact of Healthcare Systems and National Policies on Maternal and Child Health By Fizza Javed* Infant mortality is one of the indicators by which we can tell about the condition of the people of any country. The infant mortality rate in Pakistan is 55 per thousand live births (1). Ensuring the health and well-being of a mother is the cornerstone of securing a healthy start for her infant. It's a critical link that profoundly impacts the growth, development, and even mortality of the baby. Several key aspects underscore this crucial relationship. Maternal nutrition plays a pivotal role. A mother's well-balanced diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding is more than just sustenance for herself—it's the primary source of vital nutrients that fuel the infant's growth and bolster their immunity. Equally significant are maternal health conditions. Pre-existing ailments or infections in the mother, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, HI...

Pros and Cons of Telemedicine in Pakistan by Minal Zaman Cheema* Healthcare in Pakistan faces an array of challenges, including issues of accessibility, affordability, and quality of service. The country has a mixed healthcare system which includes both public and private healthcare facilities. The government-run public system is inadequately managed and includes hospitals, clinics, and healthcare centers. More often than not, these facilities face severe challenges of insufficient funding, outdated infrastructure, and a shortage of properly trained healthcare professionals. The private healthcare sector in Pakistan is relatively well-developed and better equipped, with more advanced and specialized services compared to the public ones, making them expensive and less accessible to lower-income populations. Pakistan faces a significant burden of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis, in addition to non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases and d...

Access to Quality Education in Pakistan by Muddaser Saeed* Pakistan's education system comprises a total of 260,903 institutions, catering to 41,018,384 students and supported by 1,535,461 teachers. Within this system, there are 180,846 public institutions and 80,057 private institutions. Consequently, the private sector operates 31% of educational institutes, while the remaining 69% are public institutes. On top of that, a significant number of youth do not go to school since they have to work from an early age or go to religious madrassah schools that run on a charity basis and often lack quality education in math, science, and other subjects for economic mobility.  The rise of dominant elite private school chains can be traced back to the late 1970s. These schools arose as a response to what they perceived as a decline in the quality of education in public schools administered by the government, particularly after Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's nationalization policy i...

Pakistan's minority religious community members are victims of extreme violence. One of the worst violence is meted to Christians in Punjab and other parts. According to the   2017 census ,   2.6 million Christian community members live in Pakistan, comprising 1.27% of the population. One tool called anti-blasphemy law is frequently used against minority community members often to capture their property/business. This law is misused in the form of mob violence where hundreds or thousands of people attack minority community's religious places, houses, and businesses over rumors of "blasphemy against Islam". According to Pakistan-based   Center for Research and Security Studies , approximately 1500 people of all faiths have been targeted by anti-blasphemy law between 1947-2021, 89 of whom have been extra-judicially killed. The actual number of accusations and attacks in the context of anti-blasphemy law is likely much higher. A significant number of people targeted by a...

 Local to Global Human Development is dedicated to empowering people in the United States and South Asia. We are dedicated to exchanging knowledge and skills that will promote socio-economic opportunities for the impacted, promote sustainable development, and enhance conditions for peaceful coexistence. Human Development is at the root of all progress around us. Development of human potential requires access to nutritious food, healthcare, quality education, affordable housing, livable jobs, a clean/sustainable environment, equal treatment by law, access to democracy, and other fundamental rights of the people. Local to Global believes in empowering people through sharing knowledge and skills. We believe in solidarity-based support rather than mere charity in order to build people's power and remove structural barriers to the advancement of people.  Local to Global Human Development is a project of North Carolina-based People's Power Lab with a mission to organize low-income a...