KARACHI, May 26: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar has underscored the need for providing the population planning facilities in the rural and remotest parts of the province to help contain the high maternal mortality and morbidity rate.

He was speaking at a ceremony held here on Monday under the aegis of the Sindh Women Health Project to hand over the keys of modern and well-equipped ambulances to 20 different headquarters hospitals of four districts of the province.

The chief minister, appreciating the close coordination between the Asian Development Bank, and the Sindh Women Health Project, expressed the hope that the ambulances provided to district headquarters hospitals would greatly contribute to bringing down the high maternal mortality rate.

The availability of facility if adequately handled by prompt and well-qualified staff would definitely meet the need for often stressed emergency obstetric care to large majority of local women, he hoped acknowledging that otherwise mothers are often compelled to be exposed to unsafe and delayed delivery.

He reiterated his commitment to improving the existent health and education facilities available to the people.

Assuring that all possible steps would be taken by his government to establish and maintain an updated health care system for women, the chief minister called upon the officials associated with the provincial health department and doctors and para-medics working at taluka hospital and different health care outlets, to realise their responsibility towards the people.

Referring to ambulance service provided to government institutions, the Chief Minister urged that these be adequately used to help provide timely medical assistance to mothers as required, ultimately bringing down the current maternal mortality and morbidity.

He also underscored need to strengthen family welfare programme and asked that the issue was not only related to educate masses about the significance of population control but also and more particularly linked to improved social status of women.

Ali Mohammad Mahar called upon all relevant officials to streamline population welfare schemes, making them accessible to the remotest parts of the province coupled with concerted efforts to motivate the masses about its relevance and significance.

There was an urgent need to evolve close coordination among the health, population welfare, women development and social welfare departments, he said mentioning that all these were linked to general status of women and children.

According to him, concerted efforts to turn functional the population welfare projects would also have a positive impact on the overall social and health status of the community.

Earlier, Nauman Sehgal, the adviser to the chief minister, referred to the measures undertaken to provide health as well as population planning facilities in rural and remote parts of Sindh.

Sindh Secretary for Health Ashiq Hussein Memon referred to benefits of ambulance services for women in remote areas.

The Sindh minister for local government, Mohammad Hussain; Chief Secretary K.B.Rind, Inspector General Syed Kamal Shah, Director General of Sindh Health Services Dr Qadir Baksh Memon, Director for the Sindh Health Project Dr Najma Ansari, and Dr Naheed Jamali also attended the programme.—APP