Federal Secretary of Health, Anwar Mahmood, speaking as chief guest at the concluding session of a seminar on "Research-to-Policy Interface for Child Health and Nutrition in Pakistan", stated that "the government is keen to cooperate in sustaining the dialogue and implementing the emerging recommendations for improving the state of mothers and new-borns in Pakistan."
The Seminar, organised by the Department of Paediatrics at Aga Khan University (AKU) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), was held at the University's main campus on the August 16 and 17. It included speakers representing major health-related organisations such as UNICEF, WHO, Save the Children, as well as professionals and experts in child health, research and nutrition.
Earlier, Additional Secretary for Health, Government of Sindh, Manzoor Memon chief guest for the inaugural session on August 16, expressed "the strong hope that the forum, through focus and emphasis on translating good research into effective policy, will achieve its joint mission of improving the lives of mothers and children."
He also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AKU on behalf of the Provincial Health Department, for co-operation in the field of maternal, new-born, and child health and appreciated the university's efforts in this regard.
In his keynote address, Dr Abdul Ghaffar, from the Global Forum for Health Research in Geneva, outlined priority setting mechanisms and barriers for doing so for child health in Pakistan. Professor and Chair of Paediatrics at AKU, Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta, outlined in his presentation that neonatal problems, infectious diseases, and malnutrition were the major causes of childhood deaths in our country.
Other speakers included Dr Tamur Mueenuddin of the UNICEF and Dr Tabish Hazir of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad who outlined recent advances in the management of childhood pneumonia based on research in Pakistan. Dr Anita Zaidi a specialist in childhood infectious diseases at AKU highlighted the key role played by infections in causing new-born deaths in Pakistan and other developing countries and the important role of preventive strategies such as safe-delivery and hand-washing by healthcare attendants.-PR