As like the developed countries in the world, the provision of healthcare must be declared a basic right of the people in Pakistan, who have been deprived of their right until now.
This important issue was pointed out by speakers at a consultative meeting titled “Role of the Print Media in the Promotion of Healthy Family” arranged on Wednesday by the Sindh Information and Archives Department in collaboration with the Sindh Population Welfare Department and a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Aahung, on the role of print media in promoting family health and to identify the issues and challenges ahead.
Urging the media to play a decisive and pro-active role, Sindh Information and Electric Power Minister Shazia Marri emphasised the need of more public-private collaborations between the government and civil society regarding family planning and future strategies to make the nation stronger and able to face future challenges.
Appreciating the collaborative endeavours of the two provincial departments and the NGO, she said the media should not only highlight the issue but also initiate and sustain systematic interventions to address the preventative aspects.
Marri said the Sindh Information Department has facilitated dialogue between the civil society and the print media to bridge the gap between the two sectors for initiating collaborative efforts to promote healthy family.
“The meeting was organised to bring an issue that is often left un-debated in the Pakistani society due to its sensitive nature,” she said. “It is a great experience working on a worthy cause.”
Assuring of her support to the civil society organisations working in this regard, the minister said that she is looking forward for a consistent collaborative effort between the two sectors and hoped that this dialogue would open avenues for ongoing mutual support between the various public, private and civil society actors.
Welcoming the guests earlier, the secretary Information and Population Welfare departments, Mumtaz Ali Shah, said the consultative meetings among various public, private and civil society organisations should be regularly held and other administrative departments like Education and Health should also participate in chalking out a joint action plan.
Shah said that Pakistan’s demographic profile depicts the features of a population with high fertility levels. “The country’s reproductive health indicators like population growth rate and maternal mortality ratio have improved in the recent years,” he said. “Pregnancy-related complications and maternal mortality still remain the highest among mothers below 20 years age group. One-fifth of Pakistani women in the reproductive age bracket of 15-49 years die of pregnancy complications and childbirth.”
“Although teenage marriages have declined, 80 percent women of reproductive age have been found to be married by the age of 25-29 years,” Shah said, adding that over 95 percent women of reproductive age have knowledge of contraceptive methods, but only 30 percent were found to be users of any method of contraception that depicts a high unmet need for contraceptives.
He said the print media provides guidance to the civil society and also raises issues relating to health. “This meeting would help us to find out how we can go forward in promoting family health and related issues.”
Appreciating the partnership between the Sindh Population Welfare Department and various civil society organisations in dealing with population and reproductive health issues, Shah said that his dual responsibilities as the secretary of Information and Population Welfare departments had opened avenues for establishing strategic linkages among the media, the departments and civil society organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, David and Lucile Packard Foundation Population Programme Senior Country Representative Yasmeen Sabeeh Qazi used statistics from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006-07 to highlight the reproductive health scenario of Pakistan.
She pointed out that the healthcare facility had yet not been declared a basic right in Pakistan. “To promote family health in the country, the government must give priority to the provision of basic health facilities by declaring them a basic right of each and every citizen.”
Qazi also pointed out that one pregnant woman loses her life every 20 minutes in Pakistan and neither the media nor the government is raising their voice over this national tragedy.
She said that none of the available contraceptives was 100 percent successful in the world. “Some women are still not using contraceptives because of religion and fear of side-effects,”
She also raised the issue of malnourishment among females, especially mothers, and said that women should be given proper attention, affection and nutrition.
Emphasising on the “watchdog role” of media as part of the civil society, Qazi stressed upon working together to build pressure for addressing the gaps in the supply side of healthcare while strengthening the public demand side.
Presenting the “holistic approach towards healthy family”, Aahung Senior Technical and Advocacy Adviser Dr Sikandar Sohani said that the NGO has been working on the reproductive health issues in all age groups for last 15 years and has been successful in developing institutional partnerships with various government and civil society organisations.
Explaining that NGOs work both at policy and institutional levels to empower people but their scope is limited, he stated that Aahung’s experience of collaboration with the Sindh Population Welfare Department was instrumental in up-scaling its model. “Such partnerships should be mutually established and strengthened,” he added.
Population Welfare Additional Secretary Ashfaque Ali Shah said it was the first time the provincial Information Department organised a seminar on a social issue. “The Population Welfare Department and Aahung go a long way in working together,” he added.
He said that after devolution, the Population Welfare Department is in the process of designing its Provincial Population Policy and afterwards the media would be consulted for development of effective communication strategies. “The media has always highlighted population issues but taken a non-serious approach,” Shah added.
“In the Pakistani society, discussions on reproductive health issues invoke emotional reaction and the civil society organisations must remain cautious,” Pakistan Press Foundation Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali said. “The NGOs should invest in developing partnerships with the media and make media relations an integral part of their programmes.”
He also stressed on the need for ensuring privacy and confidentiality in reporting for everyone’s safety.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sikandar Sohani highlighted the significance of healthy family and its contribution for the national development associated.
“Children should be given proper attention, love, care, nutrition and safety,” he said, stressing the need of development of healthy family as a family is the first institution for the newborn child.
At the seminar, other participants from various print media organisations, government departments and civil society organisations urged educating media personnel; organising frequent and regular dialogues among NGOs, government departments and the media; developing a contact list of civil society members to be contacted for getting reliable information; developing a contact list of journalists who work on health, education and social issues.
The consultative meeting was also attended by editors and senior level representatives of leading newspapers and print media organisations.