Health minister wants country to focus on family planning

ISLAMABAD: The country should rapidly increase the resources to cater the rising population, or else it should focus on family planning.  

Speaking at a convention on family planning and population, caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan said every year 6.1 million children are born countrywide. The figure is more than the size of the total population of countries like Singapore, Denmark and Norway.

“As population is growing, we need to increase the resources. If we cannot rapidly increase our resources, we should focus on family planning,” he remarked.

Terming growing population as a huge pressure on Pakistan’s resources, the caretaker health minister suggested integrating the health, population and nutrition at the federal and provincial levels to synergise and complement each other.

He said the number of lady health workers will be increased to 150,000, adding, “We will integrate polio workers and volunteers into lady health workers to address the uncovered areas.”

He asserted that the government would ensure due respect and dignity for the hospital staff including nurses, midwives and doctors as well as community workers.

There should be a dashboard at the district, provincial and federal level showing real time information on health, population and family planning, he added.

“The government wants to revitalise the community health committees comprising local people, teaches, local religious leaders and others,” said Dr Nadeem, adding that improvements in family planning, health and polio situation would lead to development.

Federal Health Secretary Dr Iftikhar Shallwani said rapid population growth is one of the leading factors behind poverty, poor health and education outcomes, higher unemployment, inequality and declining of country’s resources such as energy, water, and housing units.

Moreover, he added the front line community health workers provide guidance on family planning and contraceptive methods at the doorsteps.

Director General Population, Dr Shabana Saleem expressed that repeated pregnancies and deliveries not only affected the health of the women and new-born, they also exerted pressure on the family resources with regard to provision of food, housing, health care, education and other basic facilities to a large family.