Population task force to increase contraceptive use

Special assistant on health says national plan on population control approved

ISLAMABAD: The first-ever meeting of a national task force on population control has decided to set up a population control fund to increase support for contraceptive use, particularly to reach poor and marginalised segments of the population. It also approved a national action plan on population control.

This was disclosed by the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza in a statement on Tuesday.

Dr Mirza said that the first meeting of the Federal Task Force on Alarming Population Growth in Pakistan had been presided over by President Dr Arif Alivi. The agenda of the meeting was to approve the National Action Plan on Population Control, discuss a national narrative as prepared on the direction of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) — per a decision taken in its meeting in November 2018 and set up the Pakistan Population Fund.

The special assistant recalled how the country showed a growth rate of 2.4 per cent per annum between 1998 and 2017, with the country’s population jumping from 140 million to 207.8 million, making it the fifth most populous country in the world.

Dr Mirza warned that unless measures are taken, Pakistan stands to double the rate of its population growth over the next 30 years, twice as fast as the average period of 60 years for populations to double in other South Asian countries.

In this context, he said that the CCI had directed the health ministry to prepare an action plan with financial modalities for the operationalization of recommendations in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and submit it for the approval of the Federal Task Force.

The health ministry’s action plan spells out the actions required with timeline, budget and the output and impact indicators of each requirement.

It also indicates the responsible body to execute the action plan and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of the particular action.

Explaining the plan, the special assistant said that it aims to increase the current contraceptive prevalence rate from 34 per cent to 50 per cent by 2025 and up to 60 per cent by 2030.

Further, it aims to reduce the current fertility rate from 3.6 births per woman to 2.8 births by 2025 and down to 2.2 births per woman by 2030.

Moreover, the plan seeks to lower the current average population growth rate of 2.4 per cent to 1.5 per cent by 2025, before lowering it to less than half to 1.1 per cent by 2030.

The population fund, he said would be used to meet half of the additional allocations made by provinces for procuring contraceptive commodities over and above the budgetary provisions for five years.

Additionally, the fund will also cover 50 per cent cost of an increase in Lady Health Workers (LHWs) for 100 per cent coverage of doorstep services in rural and peri-urban areas

It will also support innovative approaches by the federal and provincial governments for reaching the poor and marginalised population to reduce population growth and increase the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR).

The task force will also create a national narrative to create a sense of urgency and necessity for reducing the population growth rate and achieving socio-economic wellbeing for all.

Dr Mirza said that after a thorough discussion, the action plan was approved by the forum. It was agreed by the members of the task force to convene the next meeting in a month. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2019.