ISLAMABAD:
The government has been unable to ensure availability of high-quality maternal and newborn health (MNH) and family planning (FP) services for the public due to lack of sufficient resources, fragmentation and poor quality of delivery services.
This was the crux of a study tilted, ‘A Review of Approaches to Improve Quality of MNH and FP services in Pakistan’, which was commissioned to Contech International --- a healthcare research, consulting and management organisation .
The objective of the study, which was funded by the Maternal and Newborn Health Programme, Research and Advocacy Fund, was to develop a comprehensive quality improvement framework for MNH and FP services in Pakistan based on the ground realities and lessons learnt.
The report’s findings, disseminated among stakeholders on Wednesday at a hotel, paints a gloomy picture of MNH and FP services by revealing some startling statistics.
The research revealed that every day around 800 women die across the globe from various complications related to pregnancy and Pakistan is the fourth largest contributor to the global toll. Meanwhile, of the 2,693 maternal deaths occurring in the entire developed world per year, nearly 1,600 occur in Pakistan alone. Similarly, it is estimated that 396,800 children die in Pakistan annually as compared to 99,200 in all the developed countries.
The study attributes poor access to quality healthcare, non-availability and high cost of transport, as the main reasons behind these preventable fatalities.
It was also revealed that the majority of healthcare facilities in far flung areas were in shambles.
The study concluded that in Pakistan, improving quality of healthcare is challenging as there are widespread gaps in all domains.
Recommendations
The study recommends that by strengthening community engagement and local governance through participation in decision-making, capacity building of healthcare providers, routine assessment of inputs at health facilities, upgrading routine information system can help Pakistan reduce maternal and child deaths.
The experts’ view
Commenting on the report’s findings, Dr Naeemuddin Mian, a health specialist, said all political parties just make tall calms about improving the health of mothers and children.
“This reports provides a framework that needs to be effectively implemented by federal and provincial governments,” he said.
Farooq Azam, who is a team leader at Technical Resources Facility, funded by DFID and AusAID, said a lot needs to be done in Pakistan to reduce maternal and child deaths.
Azam said in Balochistan the situation is worse. “Despite knowing the worrisome situation, the Balochistan government is far behind in taking remedial measures,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2014.
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