Sindh shows significant improvement in maternal & child health, children survival

KARACHI: Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) showed that   there are significant improvement in maternal & child health care, child survival  in Sindh province while progress have been slower in nutrition, vaccination coverage and  family planning use in women  in the province.

This was revealed by experts during Regional Dissemination Seminar on Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 which was conducted by National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) under the aegis of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination in collaboration with USAID, UNFPA, DFID and others.

The primary objective of the survey was to provide the latest estimates on reproductive health, family planning , women’s and children’s nutritional status, maternal and child health, childhood mortality, women’s empowerment, domestic violence, knowledge of HIV/AIDS, migration, disability and other basic demographic and health indicators

On this occasion, Chief Guest and Executive Director National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) Khizar Hayat Khan, said survey results showed some promising improvements in maternal and child health indicators of Sindh province. According to the survey, in Sindh 85 per cent of married women receive antental care from skilled providers such as doctors, nurse and midwife or lady health visitors, while 72 per cent of births are delivered in health facilities in the province.

In Pakistan, reproductive health care coverage is improving, nearly 9 in 10 women age 15-49 receive antenatal care from skilled providers. More births are delivered in health facilities from 48 per cent in 2012-13 to 66 per cent in 2017-18.

Briefing about Fertility and Family Planning, Principal Investigator, Dr Tauseef Ahemd said Pakistan has one the highest fertility rates in the region with an average of 3.6 woman while Sindh has also the same fertility as national level and has decline from 4.3 in PDHS 2006-07 and 5.1 according to PDHS 1990-91. The difference in current fertility between rural and urban area is 1.8 children (urban-2.9 and rural 4-7) which is quite high.

“The use of family planning among married women is stagnant at 34 per cent over the last five year and at 31 per cent in Sindh. The use of modern methods is low at 24 per cent in Sindh. Similarly, Family planning use rate is much lower in rural areas as compared to urban areas. The unmet need for contraception in Sindh remains high at 18 per cent. These findings highlight how much more work is needed in family planning programme. More work needs to be done to improve the availability of and choice of family planning information and services” he concluded.

Advisor PMMS Zafar Zaheer informed that more children in Pakistan are surviving early childhood than ever before as under-5 mortality has sharply declined. Currently, the under-5 mortality rate is 74 per 1,000 live births, a decline from 89 death per 1,000 live births in 2012-13. In Sindh the infant mortality rate is 60 death per 1,000  live birth and under-5 mortality is 77 deaths per 1,000 live birth.

The basic vaccination coverage is has improved in Pakistan as two in three children age 12-23  moths have received all eight basic vaccinations, an increase from more than half of children in 2012-13. Basic vaccination coverage is lowest in Balochistan (29 per cent)  and highest in Punjab (80 per cent). In Sindh , only half 49 per cent of all children age 12-23 months receive all basic vaccination and this is an area that needs urgent attention across Sindh .

Experts said child stunting according to the 2017-18 PDHS is very high in Sindh, and 50 per cent of children under-5 based on 2006 Who Child Growth standards as against 38 per cent in overall Pakistna.

Chairperson, SZABIST Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Secretary Sindh Population Department Zahid Ali Abbasi, Country Representative UNFPA Ms Lina Mousa, Dr GM Arif, Syeda Rabia Zafar, Dr Ayesha Sheraz and other also attended the seminar.