Healthier neighbours

India-Pakistan should work together to create a programme that safeguards the lives of our mothers.

A lot is being hypothesised about the new government in India and what it may mean for Pakistan and the future relationship between the two nations. Relations, however, are more than a mere sum of hawkish stances and thinly veiled threats. While national security can never be understated, it is not just the security threats that should define the relationships between the neighbours. In many areas, both Pakistan and India face similar development challenges. Population health is one such area. While the idea of health diplomacy is not new, the presence of a new government in India and a relatively new government in Pakistan and huge challenges in maternal health faced by both countries create a unique cusp of opportunity and long-term impact that can affect nations within and beyond South Asia.

South Asian culture and heritage is marked by reverence and deep affection for our mothers. This universal love transcends culture, race, economic status or belief systems. Unfortunately, the region has a long way to go in improving maternal health, though there have been some successes that have been made in recent years. The challenges of maternal health in South Asia are complex, multifaceted and require innovation in both technology development and its implementation. Given the large rural populations of the two countries, issues associated with scaling innovative ideas and the barriers to scale up are also noteworthy.

With regard to innovation, recent successes in improving maternal health outcomes have had two key hallmarks. First, they are often a result of public-private partnerships and not just driven by the government alone. Second, the innovations have often been a result of out-of-the-box thinking that has not just transcended disciplines, but often national barriers. In both of these cases, India and Pakistan are uniquely poised to take advantage of this global momentum. First, both Mr Sharif and Mr Modi have been strong supporters of public-private ventures and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Second, the idea of health diplomacy may not be new, but integrating joint efforts in innovation, technology and a broad-based approach to solving one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time can significantly bridge the gulf of mistrust. With the region being one of the most populous ones on the planet, successful approaches and solutions in maternal health will have deep impact well beyond the subcontinent. Ideological differences aside, the opportunity to work together on a challenge that is simultaneously both global and highly personal needs to be realised urgently.

Given the gravity of the challenge of poor maternal health in the region — extensive and completely avoidable loss of maternal life at the time of giving birth — and the commitment of the two governments towards entrepreneurship and innovation, an annual (or bi-annual) joint ‘Indo-Pak Maternal Health Innovation Summit and Competition’ could create a wide ranging impact. The goal of the programme should be simple: to highlight recent successes in innovative strategies to improve maternal health and to award small research and implementation grants to the most promising ideas. Modelled after the Gates Grand Challenges, Saving Lives at Birth, Grand Challenges Canada and other international success stories, the Indo-Pak summit can foster innovation and create the most unlikely heroes who may change the status quo.

People everywhere are defined by relationships that they hold dear. Recent discussions in the media have highlighted that both prime ministers of India and Pakistan have deep respect and affection for their mothers. While there is a lot that may separate the political ideologies and the outlook of the two leaders, we can capitalise on what unites them — by creating a programme that safeguards the lives of our mothers and improves the quality of their lives. The legacy of such a programme may make a bigger and longer-term impact on our collective development than many other policy adventures.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2014.

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