More than one billion people around the globe are currently classified as living with obesity.
At a high‑profile conference held in Lahore on 31 August, leading public‑health researchers and clinicians urged the government and health insurers to recognize obesity as a chronic disease and to scale up both medical and surgical treatment options across Pakistan. The gathering, organized by the Pakistan Society of Endocrinology and the National Institute of Health, featured voices from university hospitals, private bariatric centres, and the Ministry of National Health Services, who collectively highlighted the mounting burden of weight‑related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
Panelists cited recent World Health Organization data that place obesity among the world’s fastest‑growing health challenges, noting that South Asia is witnessing a sharp rise in body‑mass index levels due to urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, and the proliferation of calorie‑dense processed foods. In Pakistan, the prevalence of obesity among adults has climbed from roughly 12 percent in 2010 to an estimated 28 percent today, according to national surveys, translating into millions of patients who are at heightened risk for costly complications.
The experts called for a two‑pronged strategy: first, the establishment of dedicated obesity clinics in major tertiary hospitals that can provide multidisciplinary care—including nutrition counselling, behavioural therapy, pharmacotherapy and, where appropriate, bariatric surgery. Second, the formulation of national clinical guidelines aligned with WHO recommendations, coupled with mandatory coverage of evidence‑based weight‑management interventions by public and private health insurance schemes. Such measures, they argued, would help dismantle the stigma that obesity is merely a matter of personal choice and would enable early, systematic intervention.
In addition to expanding treatment capacity, speakers stressed the importance of robust data collection and research funding to monitor outcomes and cost‑effectiveness of interventions. They warned that without coordinated policy action, the economic toll of obesity‑related diseases could strain Pakistan’s already overburdened health system, potentially adding billions of rupees in preventable health expenditures over the next decade. By reframing obesity as a disease rather than a lifestyle flaw, the panelists believe Pakistan can move toward a more equitable, evidence‑driven approach that safeguards public health and reduces long‑term financial strain.