Pakistan is facing many health challenges; majority of them having public health significance. Other countries with similar situation have addressed their challenges through evidence-based strategies including those involving advocacy and communication. However in Pakistan, the lack of trained resource on health communication has been repeatedly highlighted as a prevailing gap in the system.
To bridge this important gap, the Health Communication Component of USAID's Pakistan Maternal and Child Health Programme in partnership with Health Services Academy launched an academic training "Health Communication is Public Health" for health officials at district level on Monday.
Addressing the inaugural session of Dr Shoaib, COP of John Hopkins University's communications programme, Pakistan lauded the efforts and hoped to expand the scale and scope of "Health Communications" course in Mass. Communications departments of Quaid-e-Azam University and other universities of the country.
Monica AOR of Mother and Child Health programme (MCH) USAID said the programme was a comprehensive multi-pronged programme designed to improve MCH in Pakistan. The programme has five components focused at improving FP/RH and MCH in the province of Sindh. She said USAID's current flagship Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program with its five interrelated components: 1) Family Planning/Reproductive Health (FP/RH); 2) Maternal, New-born and Child Health (MNCH); 3) Health Communication; 4) Health Commodities and Supply Chain; and 5) Health Systems Strengthening, was an innovative five-year programme designed to improve health outcomes of women and children in target areas.
In concluding remarks, Dr Asad Hafeez, Director General (DG) Health Services Academy (HAS), addressed the course participants. He wished the participants a happy learning-hope adding those two weeks would prove a great opportunity for them. "I also wish HSA a successful initiation of a long-term partnership with Johns Hopkins University. I am sure the learning from this course and the partnership between two institutions will go a long way to the health and wellbeing of people from Pakistan and across the world."-PR