On 24th July, the world observes International Self-Care Day. This year, Pakistan is marking the day with its first-ever national dialogue dedicated to self-care, bringing government, healthcare professionals, academia and industry into one room to ask why prevention still comes last in how we think about health. The WHO defines self-care as the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and cope with illness, with or without the support of a health worker. That definition draws a clear line: self-care is not self-diagnosis or replacing a doctor. It is everything a person does, with good information, before and around the moments they need one.

Pakistan's numbers explain why this line needs drawing now. Health spending remains below one per cent of GDP, according to Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-2026, among the lowest ratios in the region. More than 47% of health spending is paid out of pocket by families, and the doctor-to-patient ratio........

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