Published June 20, 2026 Updated about 2 hours ago EDITORIAL: The latest Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 presents a disturbing picture of the country’s public health landscape. While the government points to modest improvements in some indicators, a comparison with South Asian averages shows that Pakistan continues to lag behind its regional peers on several critical measures. More worrying is that these gaps persist despite repeated warnings from health experts and development practitioners about the consequences of chronic under-investment in the health sector. The survey’s statistics are sobering. Pakistan’s life expectancy at birth stands at 67.8 years, nearly five years below the South Asian average of 72.6 years. Maternal mortality remains alarmingly high at 155 deaths per 100,000 births, compared to 120 in the region, while the infant mortality rate is more than double the regional average, pointing to serious deficiencies in maternal and child healthcare services. Equally troubling are the levels of undernutrition and stunting, which continue to affect millions of children and undermine their physical and cognitive development. These challenges are compounded by the country’s comparatively high birth rate. Rapid population growth places immense pressure on already…