ISLAMABAD: Health officials, pediatricians and lawmakers on November 25 warned childhood pneumonia is becoming a silent national emergency, driven by dangerously low routine immunisation, poor primary healthcare, and widespread misuse of antibiotics, despite the disease being entirely preventable and easily treatable with low-cost tools.
Speaking at a national dialogue on combating childhood pneumonia, Director General Health Dr Ayesha Majeed Isani said country continues to see a yearly rise in pneumonia cases because hundreds of thousands of children remain unprotected.
She said over 400,000 children are still “zero-dose”, while many more receive only partial immunisation, leaving them vulnerable to severe infections. Fluctuating weather, worsening environmental conditions and rising seasonal viruses are pushing young children into hospitals every year, she added.
“We have some of the best pediatricians and tertiary hospitals, but children are dying of a disease that can be stopped through routine immunization. The pneumococcal vaccine is available. The tragedy is that we are not preventing what we can prevent,” she said.
Dr Isani said Pakistan’s healthcare system remains overly focused on hospital-based sick care instead of strengthening primary care. He praised Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal for acknowledging this structural gap.
She said preventing pneumonia requires strong primary healthcare (PHC) facilities that can deliver vaccines, diagnose early and refer complicated cases without delay.
Prof Jamal Raza, Executive Director of Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology, said pneumonia is one of most preventable childhood killers, yet continues to claim lives because practical, low-cost preventive steps are being ignored. He said breastfeeding, full immunisation, good nutrition and protection from chronic infections like HIV are foundational shields for child health.
“Pneumonia is very easy to treat if caught on time. Pediatricians and physicians must look for early signs and use the right antibiotics only when needed”, he said.
Referring to new research, he warned irrational antibiotic use has reached alarming levels. “Reports show 94pc of children are receiving antibiotics even where they are not required. The private sector is overusing antibiotics and there is nobody regulating them”, he said. Rising antimicrobial resistance will make pneumonia far harder to treat in the coming years, he addd.
Unicef’s Chief of Health Dr Gunter Boussery said Pakistan’s overall health financing is declining and remains far below what is required to protect children. He urged political leaders to increase allocations for primary healthcare, expand immunisation coverage and ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential medicines, oxygen and diagnostic tools. “Without domestic investment, pneumonia and diarrhea targets under global GAPPD framework will not be achieved”, he added.
Zahra Wadood Fatimim, MNA, said preventable diseases including pneumonia, diarrhea and HIV have become threats to Pakistan’s national health security. She said lawmakers must treat child health as a top priority because “a nation cannot grow with malnourished, unprotected and sick children”.
Dr Yasir Bin Nisar of WHO shared global perspectives on pneumonia management, emphasising community-based care, antibiotic stewardship and equitable access to diagnostic and treatment services.
Data presented during the dialogue showed pneumonia remains one of leading killers of children under five in Pakistan, despite availability of vaccines, antibiotics and oxygen therapy.
Observational studies conducted in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Thatta and Lahore revealed weak adherence to IMCI protocols, lack of basic tools, such as pediatric pulse oximeters, poor follow-up by caregivers and inconsistent triage and referral systems. Researchers found most PHC facilities struggled with training gaps, shortages of essential medicines such as amoxicillin and inconsistent implementation of pneumonia guidelines.
Another analysis shared at the meeting showed pneumonia risk factors are poorly addressed in policy documents, while case management remains highly variable, with different providers offering different treatments for same classification.
Experts said reducing pneumonia deaths requires a clear shift towards prevention, including exclusive breastfeeding for six months, universal coverage of PCV and Hib vaccines and early recognition of danger signs by families. They said strengthening PHC facilities to diagnose and treat pneumonia close to home is most cost-effective strategy for saving lives.
Published in The NEWS on November 26, 2025.
