The government will host an international conference on "Nursing and Midwives" in September this year. The Health Ministry will arrange the conference in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), International Council of Nursing, International Council of Midwives, Aga Khan University, Pakistan Nursing Council and donor agencies.
Health experts from a number of countries are expected to attend the three-day conference that would plan short-term and long-term strategies for the development of nursing and midwifery.
Two-member WHO delegation held a meeting with the Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan and Secretary Syed Anwar Mehmood on Thursday to discuss matters pertaining to the upcoming conference.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the public-private partnership was necessary for enhancing the nursing sector. The government was committed to enhance and strengthen the nursing sector with a view to achieving the millennium development goals in health sector, he said.
Nasir informed the delegations that the government was particularly focusing on preventive healthcare. Under this programme, he added the government had appointed 80,000 lady health workers (LHWs) to improve mother-child health in rural areas.
Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) Project Director Shahina Masood briefed the WHO delegation that there were 1,098 midwives registered with the Pakistan Nursing Council.
She said under the MCH project, comprehensive and integrated mother and child healthcare services were being provided at the district level.
The meeting was also attended by the WHO representatives to Pakistan Dr Muhammad Khalif Bile and other senior officials of the health ministry.