In their skilled hands was my mother’s ailing heart; a dedicated and experienced team of attendants, doctors, and nurses toiled to restore the rhythm of an offbeat organ. It took several days and nights and ultimately their efforts paid off: the doctors restored the heartbeat and lessened the risk of other complications.

I witnessed firsthand a functioning healthcare system in Pakistan.

My family spent the last two weeks swinging from a cardiac care unit to my parent’s home and from there to advanced diagnostic laboratories. I witnessed the adequately equipped and professionally run Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) dispense specialised treatment to extremely ill patients.

I interacted with several private sector diagnostic labs that readily perform advanced diagnostic tests at short notice.

I met with specialists whose knowledge and skill in cardiology are at par with their counterparts in advanced economies.

I learned that if you could afford it, the quality of healthcare in Pakistan beats even that in advanced economies, where often one has to wait for months, or even longer, to see specialists for specialised procedures.

See: Indignity and death in Saudi Arabia

The past two weeks’ experience has taught me two key lessons:

First: Excellent healthcare is being provided in Pakistan, but at a cost.

Second: An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis cannot afford the specialised healthcare that they desperately need. The challenge, therefore, is to enable access to quality healthcare to those who cannot afford it.