Waseela-i-Sehat: Focus on maternal, newborn health say experts

Activists suggest linking BISP disbursements to MNCH issues.

ISLAMABAD:

Experts have called for making disbursements under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) conditional on spending a certain amount on the maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH).

Civil society members and researchers deliberated on ways to improve health in general, and mother and neonatal health in particular, through social safety nets such as the BISP at a consultation organised by the Strengthening Participatory Organizations (SPO) here on Friday.

SPO Chief Executive Naseer Memon said the main objective of the research is to compare unconditional and conditional cash transfer programmes with focus on MNCH. He said Pakistan has a high maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 276 per 100,000 live births. Risk of death is one in every 89 women compared to one per 8,000 in the developed world.

SPO Technical Adviser Ayaz Kiyani said conditional cash transfers will be more effective and beneficial in context of Pakistan, where service sectors like health and education have much to offer and are neglected by the community due to access and affordability issues.  Within the health sector, he said, MNCH is a much neglected area, and is a low priority for many.

Speakers agreed that the BISP Waseela-e-Sehat programme should be strengthened with more focus on MNCH services and linking it with public and private health sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2014.