Over thirty prominent legislative leaders urged the government to improve the availability of family planning services especially, for poor and low-income families.
They said this while participating in a meeting held on Friday, said a press release.
Describing it as “a grave tragedy”, the legislators deeply regretted that 14,000 women die every year in Pakistan due to pregnancy-related causes. They said that such needless, tragic deaths can be prevented if suitable measures are taken. Such measures include the promotion of the practice of birth spacing, prevention of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, expanding the availability of family planning services in all four provinces and ensuring deliveries of infants by skilled birth attendants.
Legislators belonging to the PML-N, PPP, PTI, NP and PML-F attended the meeting.
In a special message addressed to the meeting, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said, “It is a most encouraging reflection of the sincerity and maturity of all major political parties that they have given due importance to the subject of family planning in their respective manifestos for the previous general election of 2013.
“Thus, there is already a sound and solid basis on which a multi-party consensus can be shaped and applied. We cannot afford a single day’s delay in extending and improving access to family planning services, especially for those millions of married couples who already wish to practice family planning but do not have convenient access.”
Minister of State for Health Regulations, Saira Afzal Tarar said that the government attached great importance to improving the healthcare of mothers and children and said that it planned to convene a national population summit in November 2016. She regretted the county failed to pay attention to the family planning in the last 68 years.
UNFPA Deputy Representative and Officer In-charge Sarah Masale said that the UNFPA was committed to supporting Pakistan’s efforts and appreciated the interest being taken in the subject by the legislators.
Senator (r) Javed Jabbar emphasised the vital and decisive role that legislators could play in ensuring that the subject of family planning becomes a part of public and media discourse.
Country Director Population Council Dr Zeba Sathar provided background information on the Council’s research and advocacy support to Pakistan. Dr. Ali Mir Director Programmes Population Council made a presentation of the latest research data and identified the serious implications facing Pakistan due to rapid growth of population. During the candid and comprehensive discussion, several legislators suggested specific measures that could be taken by the elected forums and by members in their individual capacities and as members of their respective parties to catalyse the required political actions, particularly in overseeing and monitoring the delivery of family planning services to all citizens.
The meeting noted that other major Muslim nations such as Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh have achieved far better standards of family planning practices and reduced the mortality rates of mother and infants compared to the poor standards of Pakistan.
