'Family planning evades poorest women'

The poorest women in the country continue to face the greatest barriers to family planning despite decades of government programmes, fund allocations and commitments, experts have warned.

The discussion in a meeting organised by the Population Council with support from the UNFPA on Thursday indicated that those most likely to benefit from family planning services often remained the least able to access them.

The experts examined the newly constituted National Population Council (NPC), access to reproductive healthcare and the government's ability to convert the policies into measurable results. Evidence showed that unmet need for family planning was 22.5% among women belonging to the lowest wealth group, compared with 3.7% among those in the highest quintile. Population Council Country Director Dr Ali M Mir said population growth could no longer be treated as an isolated demographic issue as it was closely linked with Pakistan's shrinking natural and economic resources.