Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Monday said over 5,000 women die in pregnancy related complications every year in Punjab and 15% of pregnancies in Pakistan end in maternal deaths.
The minister expressed these views while speaking at an event held to disseminate the innovative model for improving access to family planning services for marginalised women.
She said the government is developing a health sector strategy and setting up eight new maternal and child health centres focused to provide a wide range of healthcare services including family planning services and contraceptives supply.
The meeting was held to disseminate findings of the innovative model piloted through a digital voucher scheme to extend access to family planning services to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries. The pilot project was jointly implemented by BISP, the Population Council and Punjab Population Innovation Fund (PPIF) in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rashid reiterated the government’s vision of ensuring universal access to family planning for sustainable growth and poverty alleviation. She highlighted the evidence generated from the innovative model will support the government in implementing similar programmes that provide better health outcomes for women and their children.
“Public-private partnership, evidence generation and technology interventions must be promoted in the health sector to overcome inequities in access to health services,” she added.
In her welcome address, Population Council Country Director Dr Zeba Sathar said, “the highest unmet need for contraceptives in Pakistan is among the low-income women. The right to family planning services is most compromised for marginalised population mainly due to financial constraints.”
“Lack of family planning services compounded by lack of access to these services hinders women to act on their fertility intentions,” she added.
In his remarks, Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, “The government is committed to enhance access to health and reproductive health services through financing innovative models, strengthen existing alliances and forge new ones with the private sector, leverage technology and mobilise finance.
Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Col (retd) Hashim Dogar stressed that the population welfare department lays great emphasis on providing quality family planning services.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2021.
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