‘Family planning vital for population control’

Investment in family planning has far-reaching implications and will help achieve a sustainable population growth rate in Pakistan.

Cohesive action is required at the federal and provincial level to improve family planning programmes. Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, made these remarks in his keynote address at a consultative meeting held online. He said the Council of Common Interest (CCI) recommendations provide a comprehensive framework for federal and provincial governments to stabilise population growth.

The meeting was organised by the Population Center Pakistan in collaboration with the Population Council and with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In her welcome remarks, Dr Zeba Sathar, Population Council Country Director, expressed the need for greater investment in family planning programmes. She highlighted the government’s commitment to achieving sustainable population growth. Dr Sathar reiterated that the CCI recommendations provide an excellent roadmap for achieving a sustainable population. Highlighting interventions in four major areas of the CCI decisions, the Population Center Pakistan (PCP) and the Population Council presented high-impact practices to strengthen advocacy and enhance access, finances and accountability.

Five most promising actions - the “Five Best Bets” developed to positively influence the uptake of modern contraceptive - were presented by Population Council Country Director Dr Zeba Sathar and Senior Director Programmes Dr Ali Mir in the meeting. These best bets propose a key set of recommendations on engaging the for-profit sector in the family planning service provision. Samia Ali Shah, Project Director at Population Council, highlighted advocacy initiatives undertaken in re-framing the new national narrative on creating a balance between resources and family amongst young people. PCP CEO Farooq Azam presented the accountability dashboard at the meeting.

The dashboard is developed as a tool for the government to monitor the implementation of CCI decisions. It provides national and provincial task forces with evidence to support their priority actions and actuate their recommendations for universal access to rights-based family planning. In his comments, UNFPA representative Dr Yilma Alazar reaffirmed UNFPA’s support to the government of Pakistan in the implementation of CCI decisions. He reiterated UNFPA’s support to federal and provincial Task Forces on policy and programmatic interventions, strong monitoring mechanisms and advocacy efforts to ensure universal access to family planning.

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Dr Talib Lashari, FP2030 Focal Person, said Pakistan’s renewed political commitment to achieving sustainable population growth has been instrumental in improving population welfare programs. He stressed innovative approaches, building synergies and public-private partnership to deliver on the CCI recommendations. The meeting featured a plenary discussion with population experts and sector leaders. Moderated by Dr Yasmeen Qazi, Senior Advisor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasised on a continued political commitment and investment in family planning programmes in the country.

In her concluding remarks, MNA Dr Nausheen Hamid, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said: “The government is working to meaningfully advance access to reproductive health as an integral part of universal healthcare. The government holds the CCI decisions and its implementation in high priority and supports all actions under the CCI decisions to escalate the goal of achieving contraceptive prevalence rate of 50 per cent by 2025.” She reiterated the government’s vision in enhancing contraceptive uptake, reducing high maternal and child mortality and enabling people to maintain a balance in their family size.