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Pakistan, India at the same level of family planning
By Our Correspondent
Published: February 13, 2013
KARACHI: Despite the huge difference in size, Pakistan and India are almost at the same level of family planning, observed experts on Tuesday.
The executive director of the Population Foundation of India, Poonam Muttreja, suggested that the two countries should share their experiences to achieve common goals, such as improving family planning and health. Both India and Pakistan must learn from China, she added.
Muttreja was speaking at a seminar on family planning and reproductive health at Aga Khan University (AKU), where experts from across the world advised the governments to draw policies, involved the private sector and community workers to achieve targets. They felt that a lot could be learned from the experiences of other countries in the region.
During the seminar, there was special focus on provincial targets. After the 18th Amendment the situation became worse, said Dr Mehtab S. Karim, a research fellow and professor at George Mason University, USA. Family planning and population have never been of concern to political leaders and that has led us to this situation.
Pakistan is a signatory to the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) of 1994 when 179 UN member states governments agreed to reduce maternal mortality by one half of the 1990 levels by the year 2000 and a further one half by 2015.
Despite being a signatory to the ICPD programme of action, Pakistans progress has been slow, pointed out Dr Sarah Saleem, AKU community health sciences population and reproductive health in-charge. The same stagnation has also been observed in the countrys population welfare programme as well.
Even though Pakistan implemented its family planning programme in the early 60s, it has not been very successful in increasing the use of contraceptives. She felt that other countries in the region, such as Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh, have made decent progress.
During the case-studies part of the seminar, Dr Giri Sharma Paudel from Nepals health ministry told the audience about their policies, such as delaying marriages and pregnancies till the age of 20, awareness programmes, and ensuring people have access to contraceptives.
Nepal, which received an international award on family planning, reduction of maternal and child mortality, also introduced two chapters on family planning and maternal health in its school curriculum, even though some political groups opposed the move, said Dr Paudel.
Meanwhile, Indonesia improved its family planning through a shift of powers and administration, said Prof. Siswanto Agus Wilopo, Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakartas department of public health chairperson. Strong political commitment, setting up straight policies and their implementation led to a decline in child and maternal mortality, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2013.
By Our Correspondent
Published: February 13, 2013
KARACHI: Despite the huge difference in size, Pakistan and India are almost at the same level of family planning, observed experts on Tuesday.
The executive director of the Population Foundation of India, Poonam Muttreja, suggested that the two countries should share their experiences to achieve common goals, such as improving family planning and health. Both India and Pakistan must learn from China, she added.
Muttreja was speaking at a seminar on family planning and reproductive health at Aga Khan University (AKU), where experts from across the world advised the governments to draw policies, involved the private sector and community workers to achieve targets. They felt that a lot could be learned from the experiences of other countries in the region.
During the seminar, there was special focus on provincial targets. After the 18th Amendment the situation became worse, said Dr Mehtab S. Karim, a research fellow and professor at George Mason University, USA. Family planning and population have never been of concern to political leaders and that has led us to this situation.
Pakistan is a signatory to the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) of 1994 when 179 UN member states governments agreed to reduce maternal mortality by one half of the 1990 levels by the year 2000 and a further one half by 2015.
Despite being a signatory to the ICPD programme of action, Pakistans progress has been slow, pointed out Dr Sarah Saleem, AKU community health sciences population and reproductive health in-charge. The same stagnation has also been observed in the countrys population welfare programme as well.
Even though Pakistan implemented its family planning programme in the early 60s, it has not been very successful in increasing the use of contraceptives. She felt that other countries in the region, such as Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh, have made decent progress.
During the case-studies part of the seminar, Dr Giri Sharma Paudel from Nepals health ministry told the audience about their policies, such as delaying marriages and pregnancies till the age of 20, awareness programmes, and ensuring people have access to contraceptives.
Nepal, which received an international award on family planning, reduction of maternal and child mortality, also introduced two chapters on family planning and maternal health in its school curriculum, even though some political groups opposed the move, said Dr Paudel.
Meanwhile, Indonesia improved its family planning through a shift of powers and administration, said Prof. Siswanto Agus Wilopo, Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakartas department of public health chairperson. Strong political commitment, setting up straight policies and their implementation led to a decline in child and maternal mortality, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2013.
