'Lifelong gender inequalities halting progress in Pakistan's health indicators'

Experts regret failure to achieve development goals

KARACHI: The worsening of the key indicators relating to female health, education and social development are holding back Pakistan's ability to meet global targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to experts.

Pakistan has incorporated 169 targets under the SDGs into long-term planning frameworks such as Vision 2025 and the National Health Vision 2016-2025. New insights on the country's progress in achieving these policy objectives were discussed on Saturday by federal and provincial government officials, researchers and civil society experts at a conference, 'Pakistan's Challenges of Health and Nutrition in the context of Sustainable Development Goals: Issues and Progress,' at the Aga Khan University (AKU).



Researchers emphasised that girls in Pakistan continue to be less likely to receive a full course of vaccinations than boys of the same age. Although latest data shows a narrowing of the gender gap in immunisation, the persistence of this inequality for three decades means that young girls and women are more vulnerable to preventable illnesses.

There has also been an overall decline in the demand for treatment of diarrhoea and pneumonia for both sexes over the past three decades, with the extent of the drop being much larger for females. This means that female children are also less likely to receive treatment for these diseases as compared to the past, experts pointed out.



"A lack of attention to female health and education reflects and perpetuates a feudal, patriarchal mindset in society," said Dr Zulfiqar A Bhutta, the founding director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at AKU. He added that this limits the ability of Pakistani women to participate in the national development process and has cross-cutting and far-reaching impacts on our social progress.

In presentations on Pakistan's efforts to combat child malnutrition, speakers said that the country has not made encouraging progress. Even though the proportion of children who are underweight has declined slowly, one in three children continue to be underweight for their age. According to experts, the situation of stunting and low height for one's age worsened between 2001 and 2011, with a proportion of children suffering from chronic malnutrition, rising from 37% to 44%.



Micronutrient deficiencies also remain prevalent with nearly half of the women of reproductive ages and children under the age of five suffering from anemia. The proportion of children with severe and moderate vitamin A deficiency has also risen since 2001. Speakers at the event mentioned that achieving progress in the health and nutrition indicators laid down in the SDGs required a multi-sectorial approach, with a focus on the underlying determinants of health, such as poverty, education, food security, water and sanitation, and population growth.

"We now have data that tells us where we need targeted interventions in nutrition and healthcare," said Dr Bhutta. He added that since the SDG targets are interconnected, policymakers should remember to look at the inter-linkages between issues.



"You cannot achieve gains in adolescent health without looking at gender equality and you cannot tackle the challenge of diarrhoea without access to clean water and sanitation," Dr Bhutta added.

Convener of the Parliamentary Task Force on the SDG Barrister Pir Mujeebul Haq delivered the opening address at the conference. Other prominent officials at the event included at the Federal Ministry of Health Services and Regulation Director-General Dr Assad Hafeez and convener of the World Health Organisation Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Taskforce on SDGs, Dr Zafar Mirza.