Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed said that the provincial government has launched many projects for providing healthcare facilities to mothers and children. He expressed these views while addressing a meeting regarding Mother and Child Health (MCH) Programme, here on Wednesday.
The minister maintained that sustaining and financing MCH Programme, introducing community skilled birth attendants, 24/7 basic & comprehensive emergency service, child and neonatal health interventions, creating demand, management and programmatic innovations will cost about Rs 31.5 billion in next five years.
The project will work on capacity building of public and private healthcare providers and structures within health systems and communities to ensure improvements and supportive linkages in the continuation of healthcare for women from the home to the hospital, he maintained.
Tahir Ali said the MCH Programme is anticipating a geographical expansion as well as an increase in the scope of project activities, adding the expanded project will put a greater emphasis on child survival interventions as well as expanding the reach of family planning services.
Some of the likely interventions under the expanded programme will include better diarrhoea disease management including the introduction of a behaviour change campaign for hand-washing, as well as provision of ORS kits, the minister maintained.