Patients diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province have raised urgent concerns over the spiralling cost of treatment and the absence of advanced therapies in public hospitals, according to local media reports published on Sunday, 7 June. Patient advocates have called on the government to extend financial support to young people at risk of preventable disability.

Scale of the Crisis

Medical experts estimate that between 12,000 and 14,000 MS-diagnosed patients currently live in Pakistan, though comprehensive national data remains unavailable. Annual treatment expenses can reportedly reach nearly PKR 1 million per patient — a figure that places modern MS therapy well beyond the reach of most households.

Some patients access treatment through the provincial Sehat Card programme, but doctors and advocates say the scheme's coverage falls short of the actual cost. Public hospitals, meanwhile, do not stock modern disease-modifying therapies. Neurologists have warned that patients forced to discontinue treatment mid-course face rapid disease progression, compounding long-term disability risk.

What Multiple Sclerosis Does

MS is a chronic neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, damaging nerve fibres. Symptoms vary by individual and include vision problems, fatigue, difficulty walking, impaired balance, and numbness or weakness in the limbs. The causes remain unknown, though a family history of the disease is considered a risk factor. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is no cure, but treatment can reduce relapses, manage symptoms, and improve quality of life.

Broader Medicine Price Surge

The MS affordability crisis sits within a wider pharmaceutical emergency. In April, medicine prices in the open market — including at Bohor Bazaar, a major pharmaceutical hub in Rawalpindi — reportedly surged between 50% and 500%. Essential medicines covering diabetes, hypertension, antibiotics, gastrointestinal conditions, and cough treatments were all affected.

Among the starkest examples: the price of an insulin injection device climbed from PKR 2,200 to PKR 4,720 in the open market. Critics have described the increases as 'unbearable', arguing that insulin devices priced between PKR 2,000 and PKR 5,000 effectively shut out low-income patients from essential care. Advocacy groups have urged the government to intervene with price controls and expanded subsidy coverage.

What Advocates Are Demanding

Patient groups and neurologists are pressing provincial and federal authorities to increase Sehat Card limits for neurological conditions, procure modern MS therapies for public hospitals, and implement emergency price stabilisation measures for essential medicines. The calls reflect a broader concern that Pakistan's healthcare safety net is buckling under inflationary pressure at precisely the moment patients need it most.

With no cure available and treatment continuity directly linked to disease outcomes, the coming weeks will test whether authorities respond with targeted relief or leave thousands of patients to manage an unaffordable burden alone.