Funds sought for family planning

Experts call for reducing fertility rate to sustainable level

ISLAMABAD:

A high-level parliamentary meeting on Increasing Investment in Family Planning for Sustainable Development highlighted the adverse effects of the population boom, stemming from the lack of access to family planning services, on national progress.

The participants emphasised the significance of population planning in achieving sustainable population growth in the country.

During his keynote address, State Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani said unchecked population growth is closely linked to the lack of family planning services and casts adverse effects on various aspects of national life, including high rates of malnutrition, and neonatal, and maternal mortality.

The minister of state reaffirmed the government's commitment to providing high-quality family planning services to enhance the health of mothers and children.

He said this objective can be accomplished by generating demand for family planning services and simultaneously expanding the fiscal space to enhance the quality and availability of such services.

According to a statement, the Population Council had organised the meeting with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The event was attended by members of the Senate, national and provincial assemblies, as well as senior officials from relevant provincial and federal government departments.

In her welcome remarks, the Population Council Country Director Dr Zeba Sathar commended the commitment of parliamentarians from major political parties in reaching a consensus on the importance of population management, which she said lies at the core of Pakistan's development challenges.

She added that legislators are representatives of the people of Pakistan and they must play a crucial role in developing effective policies for the well-being of citizens.

Dr Sathar stressed the need to increase the allocation to the Population Fund, which was approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in 2018. These funds should be utilised to provide financing to provinces for designated functions, such as expanding universal coverage of family planning through the expansion of Lady Health Worker (LHW) services to uncovered areas.

Additionally, vouchers should be provided to disadvantaged women through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to facilitate their access to family planning services, she said.

Dr Sathar also highlighted the importance of including population as a cross-cutting issue in the strategy to build resilience against the impact of climate change.

During a panel discussion on the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, former Senator Farhat Ullah Babar commented that 82% weightage given to the population in the NFC Award creates a narrative that supports population increase.

When political and economic power is predominantly distributed among federating units based on population size, it not only marginalises smaller federating units but also incentivises population growth. This weightage is the highest in the world, he said calling for the transfer of Article 38 (d) from the "Principles of Policy" to the chapter on "Fundamental Rights" of the Constitution.

By doing so, the expression of intent in 38 (d), which aims to provide necessities of life to all citizens, such as food, clothing, housing, education, and medical relief, would become a justifiable right and support the population narrative through judicial oversight.

He further suggested that the national narrative should emphasise the link between the environment and population. The current budget's special focus on the environment should be expanded to population.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, speaking during the panel discussion, stated, national security should not only be defined in terms of military might but should also encompass human security, as recognised in the National Security Dialogue.

“The threat to Pakistan's security is not only external but also stems from the unsustainable increase in population and environmental degradation within our borders."

He urged parliamentarians and government officials to join forces in reducing the fertility rate to a sustainable level.

The meeting also included a panel discussion with federal and provincial members of the assemblies and senior government officials. Planning Commission Social Sector and Devolution Member Rafiullah Kakar emphasised the need to contextualise the spending efficiency of family planning funding to improve overall services.

“Accountability and monitoring are crucial for assessing access and quality of services.”

Senior government officials from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab emphasised the importance of political will to ensure the continuity of policies addressing national priorities such as population growth.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2023.