Efforts underway to check rapid population growth

The reproductive health centres set up by the Ministry of Population Welfare are successfully educating people about population-related issues, while more concerted efforts are underway to check rapid population growth.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Monday that the Ministry of Population Welfare was taking steps to expand network of its reproductive health services to far-flung areas in order to provide essential basic health information to maximum number of people.
The sources, however, claimed that lack of co-ordination between the Federal and Provincial population welfare departments are hindering the efforts aimed at provision of family planning services at the doorstep of the people. There was a need to gear up efforts to check the rapid growth of population with a view to striking a balance between population and resources, sources added.
Sources further said that unchecked growth of population is creating many socio-economic problems like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and environmental degradation besides increase in crimes rate.
Moreover, the Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said that in order to provide health, education, sanitation, safe and clean drinking water and other civic amenities to every citizen of the country, we have to control the rapidly growing population.
She said the Population Welfare Department would launch a comprehensive awareness campaign aimed at checking the population growth in the province. Every citizen including community leaders, teachers, elected representatives and Ulema should play their due role in this social service, she added.
Neelam said that focus of the provincial government is upon primary and protective healthcare so as to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs). At present, she added under five mortality rate is 94/1000 and it will be reduced to 65 by 2011 and 45 till 2015 (MDGs Target), new born mortality rate is 54/1000 and it would be reduced upto 40 and 25 by years 2011 and 2015, respectively.
She told that more than 300 new family welfare centres would be established in the province for the provision of basic maternal and child healthcare facilities to the majority of the masses at their doorsteps.
Neelam said welfare centres would be established at the villages comprising 3,000 population. Skilled birth attendants, LHVs and LHWs would be appointed at these centres because the MMR in LHWs covered area is 147/100,000 live births, compared to 300 to 350/100,000 of uncovered areas.
The minister said the provincial department is providing services regarding family welfare purposes through its 1,497 family welfare centers, 117 mobile service units, 2,604 mobilisers, 54 birth centers and a large number of LHWs.
She said that in order to achieve the required results of the departmental activities, a comprehensive and effective monitoring and evaluation system has been established whereas, to activate the community participation at local level, the services of Ulema would be acquired.