# No bed for a dying child: the shortage of paediatric intensive care in Pakistan

## TL;DR

Pakistan faces high child mortality due to a severe shortage of pediatric intensive care specialists and resources.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the critical shortage of pediatric intensive care in Pakistan and proposes scalable solutions like telemedicine and public-private partnerships.

## Key findings

- Pakistan has fewer than 30 trained pediatric intensive care specialists for over 80 million children.
- Only 70% of accredited pediatric hospitals have functional intensive care units.
- Telemedicine and public-private partnerships show promise in addressing the crisis.

## Abstract

Pakistan’s neonatal and under-five mortality rates remain among the highest in South Asia. This challenge is exacerbated by a critical shortage of paediatric intensive care staff, with <30 trained specialists serving >80 million children. Recent national data indicate that only 70% of accredited paediatric hospitals have functional paediatric intensive care units, and nearly half lack adequate nurse-to-patient ratios. These shortages are most severe in rural regions, where delayed access to life-saving interventions contributes to preventable deaths. Emerging solutions such as telemedicine, neonatal care units within general hospitals, and public-private partnerships demonstrate potential for scalable reform. Strengthening paediatric critical care is essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 and ending preventable child deaths by 2030.