CJP Nisar directs to fix case on infant mortality rate

Pakistan ranks amongst countries with the highest number of infant mortality rate

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has directed to fix the case regarding health issues in Pakistan in the third week of March.

It is pertinent to mention that the suo moto notice was taken in the matter over the columns published in newspapers highlighting an alarming rate of infant, newborn morality rate in the country.

Pakistan ranks one of the highest among infant mortality rate, and besides being highly irresponsible towards infants/newborns the parents are embarrassing the country in the community of nations, CJP noted.

Moreover, another application by a citizen stated that on the cognizance taken by the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, the prices of some lifesaving drugs have reduced even up to one-tenth of their earlier prices.

CJP Nisar further stated that provision of health and education facilities is the responsibility of the state but unfortunately Pakistan has still the worst infant mortality rate in the World.



Family Planning Association of Pakistan Director Sarfaraz Kazmi, while talking to The Express Tribune, stated more than 40 per cent of people still prefer midwives, homeopaths, hakeems and untrained medics to look after their health. He said though concrete data was not available to provide an exact figure of how many women become victims of these quacks, the extent of the business showed that it maintained deep, menacing roots.

“The ugly truth is that many doctors have allowed quacks to use their names in exchange for small amounts of money,” he pointed out. “It is necessary to increase the resources of the Public Healthcare Commission (PHC) so that they can eliminate quackery from society,” he added. The director said this was an alarming situation for maternal and child healthcare in the country.

A Punjab Healthcare Commission spokesman agreed with the notion. Talking to The Express Tribune, he agreed that gynecology centres of quacks had become functional again due to the alleged involvement of some people from the medical community.

Defining the modus operandi of these unqualified practitioners, he said even if PHC closed their dens or imposed fines, they would come to the commission’s office with qualified doctors who would claim the clinics as their own. He added that as a result, PHC’s case was weakened and it had to grant permission to reopen the clinics.

“This practice is continuing around Punjab, especially low lying areas of the centre,” he complained. “Without political will, the menace cannot be eliminated.”