Improving Access to Healthcare in Balochistan

Climate shocks and economic challenges, including food insecurity, poor dietary diversity, and food inflation, have pushed 7.5 million people into high levels of acute food insecurity, meaning families are struggling to put enough food on the table each day. Balochistan, with its urban and rural areas, is among the hardest-hit provinces, where conflicts, chronic poverty, lack of functional health infrastructure, and frequent droughts have become increasingly frequent and severe over recent decades. 

A Region with Complex Realities 

Located in southwestern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, Balochistan is the country’s largest province and is home to nearly 15 million people. While around 69% of the population lives in rural areas, economic activity is largely concentrated in the provincial capital, Quetta, and vast territories stretching to the Arabian Sea remain sparsely populated. Although Balochistan is the largest province and is endowed with abundant natural resources, many of its communities continue to face deep poverty and limited access to basic services, making it one of the most underserved regions in the country. 

In recent years, Balochistan has faced repeated climate shocks, including severe flash floods triggered by unusually intense rainfall in April 2025. Earlier, in 2022, unprecedented monsoon rains caused devastating floods across Pakistan, affecting more than 33 million people and destroying homes, infrastructure, crops, and livelihoods across the province.

The province has long been home to a large Afghan refugee community. Since the Government of Pakistan launched its repatriation plan in 2023, many families have returned to Afghanistan, while population movements continue. Combined with limited access to healthcare and ongoing insecurity, these shifts are placing additional strain on already overstretched health and nutrition services across northern Balochistan.

Health and Nutrition Situation in Balochistan

In remote rural areas of Balochistan, health facilities are often scarce and can be located hours away from people’s homes. A shortage of trained healthcare workers, most of whom are concentrated in urban centers, further limits access to care. For women, cultural norms and mobility restrictions can create additional barriers, making it difficult to attend regular health check-ups during pregnancy and after childbirth.

To better understand the nutrition situation in specific locations, Action Against Hunger conducts SMART surveys, a globally recognized methodology for measuring nutritional status and mortality in emergency and transitional settings. 

Recent surveys conducted in Balochistan between May and July 2026 revealed a critical nutrition situation in Quetta, Killa Saifullah, and Pishin. Rates of acute malnutrition among children under five exceeded internationally recognized emergency thresholds in all three districts and reached particularly alarming levels in Quetta and Killa Saifullah. Chronic malnutrition is also widespread, with up to four in ten children experiencing stunted growth as a result of prolonged undernutrition. Many children are also underweight, reflecting the combined effects of poor diets, illness, and limited access to health and nutrition services. Alarmingly, more than 90% of malnourished children were not enrolled in treatment programs.

Bringing Healthcare Services to Communities in Need

Present in Balochistan since 2022, Action Against Hunger has witnessed firsthand the challenges families face in accessing healthcare and nutrition services. A needs assessment conducted in December 2024 in Pishin, Quetta, and Killa Saifullah confirmed the scale of these needs. Nearly nine out of ten children had been sick in the weeks preceding the survey, most commonly with coughs, fevers, chest infections, and malaria. Access to healthcare comes at a hight cost and remains a major challenge, as nearly half of the population lives more than 10 kilometers from the nearest primary healthcare facility.

To help bridge this gap, Action Against Hunger, with funding from the European Union, works alongside local health facilities to bring essential health, nutrition, and mental health services closer to the communities. The organization supports the treatment of acute malnutrition through a network of nine Outpatient Therapeutic Programs (OTPs) operating in health facilities and mobile health camps. Mobile health camps are organized every two weeks, allowing children enrolled in the program to attend follow-up sessions, be monitored by nutrition assistants, and receive the treatment and counseling they need. To reach families living in remote and hard-to-access areas, community health workers conduct regular door-to-door activities, raising awareness about malnutrition, identifying children in need of care, and referring them to appropriate services. This year alone, nutrition interventions have reached 27,650 children under five who were screened for acute malnutrition.

In the same facilities, future mothers can benefit from antenatal and postnatal care services.

« When a pregnant woman visits our facility, we carry out a health assessment to detect any potential complications as early as possible »

A Lady Health Visitor at Rural Health Center (RHC) Samalai in Quetta

« As part of routine care, mothers can access eight antenatal check-ups throughout their pregnancy. If any concerns arise, they can be seen quickly and referred for additional care when needed. Some women experience complications after childbirth, while some newborns face health issues linked to malnutrition. We are here to support them every step of the way. »

Mental health services are a key component of the program, giving people a safe space to talk, seek support, and receive counseling to help them cope with daily challenges. Although cultural beliefs and stigma remain strong in many communities, some patients choose to seek support and find the courage to walk through the door.

« We have traditionally focused on physical health only, not much work has been done on mental health », says Kainat Jogezai, a psychologist working at Rural Health Center (RHC) Samlai in Quetta.

« In this area in particular, financial struggles and social pressures often affect people’s mental health, especially among women who suffer from a lack of opportunities. » In response, medical teams offer individual and group counseling sessions, creating safe spaces where people can seek support and share their experiences. Since June 2026, 9,147 individuals have benefited from mental health and psychosocial support services, helping them address emotional distress and improve their well-being.

The ongoing activities aim to support a total of 129,000 people, including women, men, and children from both host and refugee communities, across the districts of Quetta, Pishin, and Killa Saifullah in Balochistan.