Imbrication of Global Surgery and Emigration: Striving for Equitable Healthcare for Displaced Pakistani Females

Displaced and Emigrated populations contribute to about 38% of the population in Islamabad, out of which 50% are reportedly females comprising of mothers and those working as house-helps. These women lack health awareness whether it is related to their personal reproductive health or that of their children. In order to investigate the struggles of such women, In-depth interviews were conducted with women from Low-income families living in the slums and outskirts of Islamabad, having emigrated from hometowns located in Punjab and further South. A set of questions were made to study their accessibility to healthcare from working as well as stay-at-home mothers. Additionally, the Three Delays Framework by the LCoGS was employed to categorize the treatment delay. According to which, about 60% of the patients observed The First Delay, 50% observed The Second Delay and about 30% observed The Third Delay. While the First and Second Delay denote the lack of accessibility to healthcare, awareness among women is required to help downsize this figure and improve healthcare access. • Encouraging women to monitor their own health and seeking medical assistance immediately when required would greatly mitigate this issue. • Health awareness programs such as breast cancer awareness sessions targeting the slums are suggested to overcome accessibility issues. • There is a dire need to show women that the healthcare set up can be trusted and that they can independently visit a hospital. • Mobile check-up clinics and Hospital on wheels could be a great reliever for women unable to access public health facilities.