Modalities of Rs 27 billion plan for improving child, mother health finalised

To meet international and national commitments for improving the health status of mother and child, the health ministry on Thursday finalised modalities of a Rs 27 billion National Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) programme after a long consultative process with provincial governments.
The programme is now ready for submission to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP). In this connection, an inter-ministerial meeting held here on Thursday to finalise the programme. Federal health minister Nasir Khan chaired the meeting which was attended by minister of state Shehnaz Sheikh, Punjab health minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed, federal secretary Syed Anwar Mehmud and senior officials from four provinces, AJK and Fata.
The objective of the meeting was to evolve consensus on modalities and mechanisms for speedy implementation of the programme. The health ministry and its provincial counterparts after marathon deliberations reached an agreement regarding various aspects of the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, the health minister emphasised on expediting the implementation of National Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health programme with a view to reduce alarming rate of maternal and infant mortality on war footing.
He stressed Pakistan, being the signatory to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has to work hard for bringing down infant mortality by 52 per 1,000 life births and maternal mortality to 140 per 100,000 births by the year 2015.
He said MNCH programme could help attain targets of 65 for infant mortality and 200 maternal mortality by the year 2011 if implemented in true sprit. With an outlay of Rs 27 billion, the programme will help save precious lives of 25,000 mothers and 210,000 children per year.
In her presentation on MNCH programme, Shaheen Masood from MCH highlighted objectives of the programme and informed that its goals include improvement in accessibility of quality and services for maternal and childcare, besides nursing the demand for health services and strengthening existing districts health system.
She informed this programme would increase the number of community-based skilled health attendants, provision of round-the-clock emergency obstetric services and would emphasis on such aspects as child and neonatal health strategy as well as comprehensive family planning services.
Management and organisational reforms and monitoring and evaluation framework along with advocacy and demand creation also constitute important components of the programme.