There is something deeply tragic about how the world of numbers works. On paper, cutting off international aid to stimulate the local economy seems a plausible measure. But, in reality, the effects of such cuts are devastating and almost irreversible. At a time when the world should be celebrating continued gains against child mortality, the Gates Foundation has raised alarms. In its annual Goalkeepers report, the foundation highlights that roughly 200,000 more children are expected to die before the age of five this year than in 2024. After years of steady decline, preventable child deaths are poised to rise from an estimated 4.6 million last year to 4.8 million in 2025, pausing the momentum that had seen global child mortality cut roughly in half since 2000.
All of this is the result of the arrogance of the world’s superpower where the unpredictable US president arbitrary announced aid cuts early this year. Other major donors, including Britain and Germany, also joined the bandwagon. Now the fund required to support vaccination campaigns, maternal care and basic health infrastructure in vulnerable countries is waning, leaving vulnerable communities abandoned. According to the report, global development assistance for health has fallen nearly 27 percent compared with last year. Although the report doesn’t specifically mention how aid cuts could affect Pakistan, there is enough evidence to assume that the country also relies on foreign aid programmes for most of its health programmes. Polio vaccination, for example, is greatly dependent on foreign aid. As the powerful West flexes its financial muscles and arrogantly use money as a political weapon, countries like Pakistan must find ways to be self-sufficient.
In our context, local manufacturing and research is essential if we want to be self-reliant. The government also has to announce attractive schemes for our talented youth so that they do not consider leaving the country and settling abroad. We can also become financially independent if we have our army of talented and skilled people who can fuel the research and development sector. While rich nations also have the responsibility to extend their hands, the world today has exposed how self-centred these countries are. For Pakistan, protests against such aid cuts are reasonable, we also have to find ways to improve our healthcare infrastructure. Pakistan can increase itshealth budgets, strengthen routine vaccination in underserved districts and expand the Lady Health Worker programme. Targeted maternal nutrition support, climate-resilient health services and smarter district-level data use would also help the country offset shrinking donor funds. Our children are solely our responsibility and it is on us to ensure that they have a healthy and fully nourished childhood.
Editorial Published in The NEWS on December 8, 2025.
