President advises attitude change towards family planning
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday called for bringing about attitudinal change in society towards family planning to advance reproductive health and effectively manage the growing population in Pakistan.
The President expressed these views while talking to Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Luay Shabaneh, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr. He said that religious scholars, media, and opinion leaders could help bring about positive behavioural changes in society by supporting family planning processes in the country.
He underscored that national religious scholars and media were needed to raise awareness about family planning by educating the people. He emphasised that all stakeholders should make coordinated efforts to promote family planning and better family health as basic human rights of married couples.
The President highlighted that 50 per cent of pregnancies in Pakistan, out of nine million, were unwanted due to the unmet needs of its population for family planning products and services. He underscored the need for taking measures to improve the health and nutrition of its people, especially maternal and reproductive health, reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate, and stunting and malnutrition.
He called for taking effective measures by the provincial governments, civil society, non-governmental organisations, media organisations, religious scholars, and relevant government departments and agencies to advance the agenda of family planning and better health in the country.
On the occasion, Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Luay Shabaneh briefed President Alvi about the role of UNFPA in the promotion of family planning services in Pakistan.
He apprised that the UNFPA had been a lead organisation, which supported all the demographic and health surveys conducted in Pakistan so far, besides supporting the country’s efforts towards the accelerated delivery and accessibility of high-quality family planning information and services.
He further informed that UNFPA had been providing technical and financial support to Pakistan for the past 50 years, he added.
