Research in family planning unveiled

LAHORE: Evidence in a research programme has revealed that the involvement of Community Midwives (CMWs) and private sector can be a game changer in improving the access to family planning services in Pakistan.

The family planning experts have called upon media to play a pivotal role in urging federal and provincial governments to collaborate with family physicians and pharmacies in order to enhance access to contraceptives and family planning services. Involvement of Community Midwives (CMWs) was also emphasised in providing family planning services which can be a significant step towards helping impoverished rural women, who face higher unmet needs for family planning and accessibility challenges. The research outcomes were unveiled at a media coalition meeting organised by the Population Council in collaboration with the UNFPA. The coalition highlights the cross-sectoral impact of rapid population growth periodically to raise awareness and hold governments accountable for improving the well-being of the people. Dr Ali Mir, Senior Director Programmes, Population Council said that recently concluded 2023 Census has counted 241.9 million people in Pakistan with an annual intercensal growth rate of 2.55%. This has raised considerable concerns regarding continuing high rates of population growth and slow progress in bringing any change in the last five years despite the CCI decisions of 2018.

“The media can advocate for improving access to family planning services by highlighting the importance of involving the private sector and delivering services at grassroots level through their reporting and media coverage. Similarly, leveraging the untapped potential of Community Midwives (CMWs) is also crucial to improve the access of family planning services across the country. These two areas can be game changers for FP Service Delivery and improving Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR)." The Population Council, through its research, has shown that both approaches are workable. By engaging private sector providers an increase was seen in clients who wanted to avail family planning services. It also led to a substantial increase in the sale of contraceptive products. The research has opened a new service delivery channel that needs to be improved in order to enhance access to family planning services. Explaining Population Council’s experience on engaging Community Midwives (CMWs) to expand family planning services in rural communities of Sindh, Samia Ali Shah, Project Director, Population Council, said, “CMWs and LHWs working in tandem to reduce the unmet need of family planning can be a game-changer for Pakistan”. She observed that the best time for family planning counseling and service provision is during women’s visits to CMWs for ante-natal (ANC), natal, and postnatal care (PNC). She urged the media to highlight, through reporting and coverage, plight of poor rural women need better access to service delivery in rural areas of the country and influence governments to engage CMWs in areas where they are already working and initiate CMWs programs where they are not present. Sharing the data of private sector study, conducted to enhance family planning services in rural areas of Islamabad, Dr Nauman Safdar, Team Lead and Sector Specialist-Health, Population Council said that engaging the private sector in family planning service delivery could rapidly enhance access to services and reduce unmet need.

“Service delivery through male family physicians stimulates male engagement in crucial decisions of birth spacing in a family as well as in the society”, he added.