Islamabad Tops Health Coverage Rankings While Many Districts Struggle

On Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, the Service Coverage Index (SCI) report revealed that Islamabad Capital Territory ranks highest in Pakistan with a score of 63.9, outperforming all provinces and regions.

Punjab secured second place with 55.5 points, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 51, Sindh at 50.7, and Balochistan trailing at 38.4. While 11 districts achieved a UHC-SCI score of 60 or above, 45 districts remained below 40, and 39 districts scored between 40 and 49.

Another 57 districts fall in the 50-59 range. These figures underscore Pakistan’s challenge in meeting its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reaching a UHC-SCI score of 80 or higher by 2030.

The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), with support from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Evidence for Health (E4H) Program, announced the results. The UHC-SCI at the national level has risen from 40 in 2015 to 53.9 in 2023—a 35.8% improvement. However, the annual growth rate of just 2.2% since 2022 signals the need for accelerated progress.

The report also highlights district-level variations in healthcare. Jhelum leads in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health with a score of 78.4, followed by Hunza and Lahore. In the infectious diseases category, Peshawar tops the list at 56.4, with Gilgit and Chitral following.

For non-communicable diseases, Karachi South leads, followed by Islamabad and Lahore. A lack of disaggregated data in this category remains a challenge.