Clinical Hematology in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: A Crisis of Workforce, Infrastructure, and Ethics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70765/71hd1390Keywords:
Hematology workforce, Pakistan healthcare corruption, thalassemia care, health policy reformAbstract
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) faces a dire hematology crisis with only 3 specialists for 40 million people—0.075 hematologists per million, 85% below WHO standards. This paper combines workforce analysis, policy review, and patient outcome data to expose systemic failures: (1) non-specialists ("pathology mafia") controlling 72% of hematology care, (2) zero dedicated bone marrow transplant (BMT) units, and (3) Rs. 0 allocated for hematology in KPK's 2019 health plan. We propose a 5-year action plan including immediate OPD expansions and long-term BMT center development.
Keywords: Hematology workforce, Pakistan healthcare corruption, thalassemia care, health policy reform
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References
1: Hoffbrand, V. & Moss, P. (2022). Essential Haematology (8th ed.). Wiley.
2: Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (2023). Specialist Workforce Census.
3:World Health Organization (2020). Health Workforce Requirements for Blood Disorders.
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9: Ali, M. et al. (2022). "Thalassemia Outcomes in Resource-Limited Settings." Blood Research, 57(4), 301-310.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Irsa Hidayat (Author)
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