More Attention towards Health                                                                                                       Back

Gallup Pakistan has conducted several polls and surveys on health in the past few years. Apart from seeking information on current problems, these surveys aim to find out more about the people’s attitudes toward their health as well as their views on the health facilities available to them.

In a survey in 2006, people were asked about their health compared to the past year. Amongst the respondents, 34% claimed that their health had improved, 34% thought that it was the same while 26% of the people stated that their health had deteriorated.  

When asked about where they seek treatment from, 15% of the respondents in 2006 said that they go to government hospitals, 38% said that they went to private doctors and 42% claimed that they would go to whichever hospital was nearer to them. 3% of those questioned went to a dispensary. Amongst the people questioned, only 17% considered government hospitals’ standards to be good, 34% rated them as bad and 40% claimed them to be only average. In fact, when asked to compare private and public hospitals, 15% voted for public hospitals, 43% favored private hospital and 39% considered the two to be equally good.

The same questions were posed to our respondents in 2005. In 2005, 62% of those questioned claimed that they seek treatment from private hospitals when sick, 33% said that they visit government hospitals and 5% said that they went to a Hakim or a dispensary. Similarly, 38% of the people said that preferred government hospitals while 61% preferred private hospitals.

A comparison of the data given above clearly suggests that the government hospitals have managed to win over some of the people in the past few years. More people seem to consider both government and private institutions to be equally good.

People seem to be more concerned about their health on the individual level as well. According to a Gallup survey in 2005, only 16% of the people were not at all concerned about their health. 34% of those questioned said that they were very concerned about their health and 50% claimed that they were somewhat concerned.

At the same time it is important to remember that there is much left to be desired. Not only do the existing medical facilities need to be improved but greater awareness and a wider, nation-wide coverage of health facilities need to be among the priorities of the government. In 2005, only 14% of the people surveyed said that they always go for an annual medical check-up and 44% did so occasionally. 41%, however, had never had an annual medical examination. Similarly, 54% of the people expressed their dissatisfaction with the medical facilities available in their area. 7% said that they did not know and 39% stated that they were satisfied with the facilities available in their locality.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.

Water Problems                                                                                                                                      Back

Access to safe drinking water is a crucial problem facing both the urban and the rural population in Pakistan. Several surveys have been conducted by Gallup Pakistan in this regard to estimate the nature and seriousness of the problem.

In a survey in 2006, Gallup Pakistan found out that 79% of the people use the same water for all purposes and that only 21% of the people use separate water for drinking. 48% of the respondents revealed that they obtain their water simply from the tap, 33% had a personal motor pump, 10% used a hand pump, 4% used a tap outside the house and only 1% obtained water from a well. Amongst those who used separate water for drinking, tube wells are the primary source of drinking water for 27% of them, 26% purchased it and 23% obtained it from some other source.

This data highlights the inadequacy and lack of effective distribution of water, and especially drinking water, to the masses. Most people have to go through inconvenient measures to procure water and store it. To exacerbate the problem, the water is not even safe. 43% of the people questioned in 2006 claimed that the water they had access to was unsafe, 13% were doubtful and 44% considered it to be safe. These respondents cited several reasons for considering the water to be unsafe. 39% asserted that it had an unusual color, 17% said that it tasted bad, 19% stated that it had a foul odor and 24% claimed that it caused diarrhoea.

Some of the people facing this dilemma have adopted several methods of sterilizing this water. In 2006, 23% of the respondents stated that they boiled the water, 10% used a filter and 8% drained it. However, the fact remains that a majority (58%) takes no such measure and this unsafe water poses a major threat to the health and well being of these people. In fact, in a poll in 2006, 24% of the respondents claimed that someone in their household has suffered from diarrhoea, with the average number of people suffering this ailment standing at 2 people per household.

The situation does not seem to have improved much when one considers the data collected in 2005.  When questioned about the water being safe, 42% of the people strongly felt that the drinking water available was unsafe, 33% somewhat agreed to the claim that the water was unsafe and 14% were unsure. The percentage of people who somewhat disagreed and those who definitely disagreed with the claim stood at 6% and 4% respectively.

Unfortunately, most of these people do not possess the means and resources necessary to overcome such a problem. While some of them have opted for water filters, only 40% of those questioned in 2005 actually considered them to be effective. In fact, several respondents (43%) felt that the filters were highly overpriced, 44% considered their price to be reasonable and 13% were unsure. People who are stuck with unsafe water and cannot afford to buy filters either rely on the traditional methods of boiling and draining the water or simply do not bother with sterilization.

These surveys and polls were conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, on a sample of over 1100 respondents in urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan. This sample was statistically selected across all ages, income groups and educational levels. The error   for a sample of this kind is estimated to be +/- 5% at a 95% confidence level.