Behind Healthcare Gains, Karachi Women Face Well-being Challenges
Karachi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Sep, 2026) The bustling urban environment of Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, poses distinct health and lifestyle challenges, especially for its female residents. These challenges have intensified in 2026 due to increasing socioeconomic disparities, ongoing gender inequalities, and the escalating impacts of climate change.
Despite progress in technology and healthcare infrastructure, women in Karachi continue to encounter substantial obstacles that shape their overall well-being and access to opportunities, often in ways that remain unseen in the rush of city life.
Dr. Sarah Mansoor, a Senior Instructor in Family Medicine at the Aga Khan University Hospital, explains that Karachi’s female population faces a double burden of disease. On one hand, nutritional deficiencies, particularly anemia, reproductive and maternal health concerns, and delayed access to healthcare persist. On the other, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, sedentary lifestyles, and mental health issues are on the rise.
According to Dr. Mansoor, improving women’s health in Karachi requires more than just increasing healthcare facilities. It demands affordable preventive care, better health literacy, early screening, and empowering women to prioritize their own health throughout their lives.
Citing National Nutrition Survey data, she highlights that approximately 40% of women of reproductive age in urban Sindh suffer from anemia, while nearly 44% of Pakistani women aged 15–49 are either overweight or obese. This paradoxical situation illustrates the co-occurrence of nutritional deficiencies and excess weight within the same population.
These challenges impact women across socioeconomic groups but manifest differently. Common factors include: prioritizing family health over personal well-being, underutilization of preventive care, and delayed treatment until symptoms become significant.
The financial barriers, limited access to preventive care, and reduced early diagnosis are more pronounced in lower-income communities. However, Dr. Mansoor emphasizes that even affluent women are not immune to disease, particularly lifestyle-related conditions, stress, and physical inactivity.
She underscores the strong correlation between household wealth and the utilization of maternal healthcare services in Pakistan. While wealthier women have better access to care, they are not entirely protected from health issues.