A high level US delegation led by Dr Rajiv Shah, Ambassador of USAID, held a meeting with high ranking health and population officials here to discuss Pak-US collabboration in the health sector. The meeting deliberated at length on areas of possible collaboration and co-operation in the health sector.
Dr Rajiv Shah said, "there is a need for a long-term collaboration in the health sector and devising a shared strategy with smart projects to achieve targets jointly identified in the health sector". "We are looking for a five to ten years partnership in the health sector, which will help Pakistan achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)", he added.
Minister for Health Makhdoom Shahabudin underscored the excellent partnership that exists between the two countries in the health sector. He said Pak-US collaboration dates back to the 1960s when the partnership in health between the two countries was initiated for the control of Malaria in Pakistan. He laid special emphasis on mother and new born child health programme and Lady Health Workers programme as major initiatives for reducing mother and child mortality and attaining the MDGs in this regard.
The minister further said that support in the very important area of health emergency and trauma would be critical. Minister for Population Welfare Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that population explosion remains a major challenge in the country. She said population growth is a major cause for poverty and deprivation, which are root causes of terrorism.
She said a number of areas of collaboration with the US government in the areas of population welfare have been identified. She informed that currently the new population policy is being drafted and there is a paradigm shift encompassing issues like birth spacing, early marriages and maternal health. She further said the National Trust for Population has been activated registering over 1000 NGOs alongside the revival of the social marketing plan.
She pointed out that there were 48,000 villages in the country and Khateeb and Imams could be engaged in these villages which would also help promoting inter-faith harmony. Federal Secretary Health, Khushnood Akhtar Lashari expressed appreciation of the US delegation's understanding of the pressing health, issues in the country. He said, "We need to forge a long-term partnership to achieve optional results".
He informed that the new national health policy was on the anvil and the government was on strengthening immunisation services and delivery of maternal and neonatal health services. Director General Health, Professor Rashid Jooma highlighted that programmes be developed to create demand for services through engagement with people at the community level.
The US delegation included, Ms Robin Raphael, Foreign Assistance Co-ordinator at the US Embassy, Robert Wilson Director USAID Pakistan and Ms Janet Paz-Casillo Director at the US Embassy. The Pakistan side was led by Minister for Health Makhdoom Shahabuddin and the Minister for Population Welfare, Dr Firdous Aashiq Awan.
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