Dr Yasmin calls for local family planning strategies

LAHORE:Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid urged stakeholders to work in synergy to achieve Mother and Child health and family planning targets in a meeting with World Health Organisation and Unicef delegation at the Committee Room of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department here on Tuesday.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Usman Younis, Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Barrister Nabeel Awan, Secretary Population Welfare Ali Bahadur Qazi, CFO Unicef Punjab Wilbroadd Ngambi, Dr Akhtar Rashid, Dr Yahya Gulzar, Dr Ghulam Nabi Qazi, Dr Khalid Mehmood, Dr Faraz Khalid, Dr Naveed and others were present in the meeting. The minister discussed with the delegation the measures taken in the province to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, family planning and mother and child health indicators. She shared with the delegation the special measures on family planning.

The Health minister said, “The government is taking a number of steps to improve healthcare services for people under vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. We are laying special emphasis on Mother and Child health and state-of-the-art hospitals are being developed in Attock, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh, Sialkot and Rajanpur. Recently, a very important meeting of the stakeholders was called under the chair of Speaker Punjab Assembly Ch Pervaiz Elahi. All stakeholders will have to put together concerted efforts on family planning. We have a great human resource present in the form of Lady Health Workers. A joint working paper will be developed in coordination with Unicef and WHO.” Dr Yasmin Rashid said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced the distribution of Sehat cards to all population in Punjab. By December 2021, all 20.93 million families will be given away Sehat Sahulat cards. Punjab has upgraded 22 nursing schools into nursing colleges. The midwifery schools are being upgraded.”

Meanwhile, the minister tasked all CEOs (Health) of Punjab to develop local strategies on family planning. She was speaking as chief guest at a seminar on Family Planning in a local hotel organised by Population Welfare Department.

Minister for Population Welfare Hashim Dogar and others were present. The minister said, “I felicitate to the organisers for holding an important event. The most important part of family planning is mother’s health. We have developed joint strategy with Population Welfare Department on family planning under vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.” Dr Yasmin Rashid said all CEOs Health must work jointly with the Population Welfare Department on family planning. Health and education facilities are vital to development of a healthy society. Health department will completely support the Population Welfare Department. Our next generation can only be secured by provision of better facilities to mothers, she said. Minister for Population Welfare Hashim Dogar in his address said that his team was extremely grateful to minister for support towards a great cause.

UVAS milk marketing: A three-day sixth farm advisers training workshop on “Milk Marketing and Social Mobilisation” started at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Tuesday. UVAS Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Masood Rabbani chaired the inaugural session of the workshop. Dairy-Beef Project Team Project Manager Dr Humera Iqbal and 40 participants from 22 public and private sector organisations and the officials of livestock departments of Punjab and Sindh were also present.

The aims of the workshop include: implementation of the Whole Family Extension Approach (WFEA), engaging farm advisers in training modules focused on milk marketing and also providing them with an opportunity to learn from each about animal husbandry.