LAHORE, June 8: Federal Health Minister Dr Abdul Malik Kasi Friday said that the government would support all projects related to improvement of women health care being launched by the NGOs.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the first national workshop on women’s right to reproductive health here. The two-day workshop has been organized by the Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (SOGP) in collaboration with the Federation of International Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO).

He said that the government attached great importance to the provision of specialised medical cover to all citizens throughout the country, specially to women folk who constitute major chunk of the population.

He said that gender discrimination should also be done away with from the society, specially prevalent in remote rural areas of the country. He said that people must have access to health and other facilities without gender discrimination.

He said unfortunately the women, particularly in rural areas, women were not given due respect and status according to Islamic principles.

The minister said that women should not be deprived of their legitimate rights and role in society.

He said that 15 per cent of the federal health budget was being spent on the provision of primary health cover while 45 has been earmarked for secondary health care which covers district headquarters hospitals while remaining portion of budget has been set aside for teaching hospitals of the country.

The minister urged the NGOs to play their due role towards betterment of the down trodden and join hands with the government to supplement its efforts for the quick weal of the have-nots, ignored and oppressed segment of the society.

Prof Dr Farrukh Zaman said that the reproductive health “is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and its functions and processes.”

He said that reproductive rights embrace certain human rights that have been recognized in national laws, international human rights principles and other consensus documents.

He said that essential components of reproductive health care included family planning, maternal health, preventing abortion and managing the complications of unsafe abortion, preventing and treating transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, eliminating traditional practices like female genital mutilation that harm women’s reproductive health and well-being.

Dr Farrukh said that more than 541,000 women die every year in the world from complications of pregnancy and childbirth — one every minutes — and 99 per cent of these maternal deaths are in developing countries. Perhaps 15 times many suffer injury or infection.

He said that 50 million pregnancy related complications lead to prolonged illness and disability.

He said that 36.1 million are now living with HIV/AIDS and 5.3 million new infections in 2000. He said that one half of all infected people are under the age of 25 years. He said that 78,000 women die every year from unsafe abortion, almost all in developing countries.

He said that 350 million couples do not have access to a choice of safe and affordable contraceptive methods. Surveys from more than 60 developing countries indicate that more than 100 million women who are not currently using a contraceptive method want to delay the birth of their next child or to stop having children.

Prof Dr Rashid Latif Khan said: “we are dedicated towards the provision of inexpensive specialised medical cover to all people, specially to women.”

Postgraduate Medical Institute Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Tayyab said that workshop will help create awareness about women’s rights relating to sexual and reproductive health within the framework of Islamic teachings.

SOGP President Dr Shahnaz Baloch and Dr Rehana Ahmad also spoke on the occasion.—APP