Three-tier strategy being implemented for population planning

The Minister of Population Welfare Punjab, Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said here on Sunday that the department was implementing 3-tier strategy of sensitising population planning in the province through proactive advocacy campaigns, enhancement and improvement in the operational efficiency of service delivery outlets and active community participation in the population planning programmes.
She was talking to delegations of people, doctors and paramedics here on Sunday. The population welfare department was also providing medicines and diagnostic treatment facilities to the people for general ailment and medicines worth Rs 180 million had been provided to the patients for this purpose, she said adding that the government was patronising protective healthcare programme especially for mother and child at grass root levels. These programmes, she said, were aimed at reducing morbidity, disabilities and mortality caused by seven vaccine preventable diseases namely childhood tuberculosis, poliomyeties, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, neonatal tetanus and hepatitis-B by vaccinating all children below one year of age. She said all pregnant women were being vaccinated against tetanus.
The minister said that the priority targets of the protective programme were polio eradication followed by elimination of neonatal tetanus and measles. She said that 1400 Family Welfare Centres had already been set up and 53 mini hospitals at tehsil level were also going to be established to provide vasectomy services.
She said that population welfare programmes were aimed at improving mother and neonatal health and reducing population growth rate from 1.92 percent to 1.59 percent. Likewise, non-programme outlets including active participation of NGOs, Ulema, media men, LHVs and other community leaders had been ensured to realise the benefits of a small family to the people at large. However, she asked the public representatives and Ulema to come forward and to create awareness among general public against the menace of fatal diseases.