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 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.
Elle et al. (2026) studied this question.