The high level of population growth i.e. 2.4 percent in Pakistan is unsustainable and has already eaten into the modest gains made in terms of socio-economic development, said Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza. Addressing a national seminar to mark World Population Day, Dr Zafar Mirza said Pakistan is one of the most populous countries in the world with a population of 207.8 million with intercensal growth rate of 2.4% per annum. At this rate Pakistan's population will double in the next 30 years, compared with an average doubling time of 60 years for other South Asian countries. The population of the country is projected to increase to 285 million by 2030.
The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Department of International Development (DFID) jointly observed the World Population Day at an event in Islamabad on Thursday. July 11 is globally celebrated as World Population Day. The theme of this year's World Population Day is "25 years of the ICPD: Accelerating the Promise", focusing on the unfinished business of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in 1994 in Cairo. Dr Mirza said nearly one-fourth of the country's population continues to live below the poverty line with the absolute numbers of poor increasing due to population growth rates. Regional and urban-rural variations in poverty are pronounced. Poverty has a close relation with low literacy, high fertility, high childhood and maternal mortality especially among the poorest households.
Approximately 60% of the country's population faces food insecurity and nearly 50% of the women and children are malnourished. Many Pakistani children are faced with long-term nutritional deprivation, balanced food insecurity, poor health services, illnesses linked to hygiene, and improper feeding practices. Thirty-eight per cent of Pakistani children suffer from stunting, according to the PDHS 2017-18.
He urged for urgent efforts at all levels to address the issue of population in the country. There is highest level of political commitment to the cause with the Prime Minister heading the Federal Task Force on Population with all provincial chief ministers as members. "The recommendations of Council of Common Interests on alarming population growth must be implemented both the federal and provincial governments if we are to move forward on addressing the population issue effectively," he said.
He said, "Without ensuring universal access to family planning & reproductive health services, we cannot achieve the goal of population stabilisation.
Therefore, we have planned to involve all public health facilities, all general registered private sector practitioners and hospitals and NGOs and civil society organisations in providing family planning / reproductive health services. For promoting small family norms and creating more demand for FP services, we are launching a mass movement for behavioural change and building a national narrative for population issue. For contraceptives commodity security we will incentivise local production of contraceptives and strengthen supply chain management system with the coordination of provincial governments."
Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister / Federal Minister for Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation extended her full support to Dr Mirza and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in realising the Herculean task of stabilising the population growth. "We cannot talk about the problems anymore, we need to start talking about solutions," she said.
"We need to revise the business model, to ensure all women who want to access family planning commodities, are able to reach them at all health units across Pakistan. Our approach should be transformative and disruptive." She added "Politicians and opinion leaders are shy to talk about family planning and that has to change. Population is the biggest national security threat and it needs unprecedented attention," she added.
Speaking on the occasion Federal Secretary Health Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik said high maternal mortality and child mortality rates continue to pose challenges for the population and health sector.
UNFPA Representative Lina Mousa and Deputy Head of DFID Kemi Williams also spoke at the event. Mousa highlighted Pakistan's demographic opportunities in her remarks. "Pakistan has some of the greatest demographic opportunities for development in the world as a growing youth population enters adulthood. The demographic dividend can only be achieved with adequate investments in the education and skills of youth, harvesting the fruits of long-term human capital development. To open the window of opportunity for the demographic dividend, Pakistan needs to reduce fertility and invest in the growing youth "bulge" entering the labor force."
Williams shared DFID's commitment to support Pakistan's population growth strategy in her remarks. "Rapid population growth is a major challenge for many countries across the world, including Pakistan and the situation is likely to get worse if urgent action is not taken.
The UK is committed to support Pakistan's plans to manage its population growth. DFID Pakistan, through its Delivering Accelerated Family Planning programme is making family planning services accessible to men and women across the country," she said.