GIVEN its demographics, healthcare in the country is skewed towards what afflicts the younger generation eg maternal and child health, and polio. What the authorities should be giving equal attention to is another brewing crisis: osteoporosis and its associated infirmity that is having a debilitating effect on another fast-growing segment of the population the elderly.

Currently, the number of aged people in proportion to the entire population is believed to be about 6pc. But life expectancy has gradually increased from 61 years in 1990 to 67 years in 2011; it is expected to be 70 years in 2025 and 77 years by 2050. The International Osteoporosis Foundation, in its Asia-Pacific Audit that became available recently, now warns that by 2050, some 30pc of the country`s population or 87.2m people will be over 50 years of age, and vulnerable to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a condition where the density and quality of bone are reduced, significantly increasing the risk of fractures and a difficult recovery. The IOF audit finds that Asian populations in general stay well below the WHO-recommended levels of calcium intake, with most countries in the region having seen a twoto threetimes increase in the incidence of hip fracture over the past three decades. However, in Pakistan matters are compounded by a lack of awareness, the fact that no fracture registry has been established to consolidate figures related to high-risk patients, and societal factors such as poor nutrition, and low vitamin D and exercise levels. Such is the case even though severalstudies havefound that the prevalence of osteoporosis in Pakistan is high. We stand on the brink: interventions set in place now could prevent the crisis from coming to a head in the years ahead and even more burden being placed on health infrastructure that is already run ragged. Healthcare policies must cater to the young and old alike.