KARACHI: The National Finance Commission (NFC) Award formula for distributing financial resources on the basis of population density needs serious review, as it negates efforts aimed at encouraging family planning.

This demand was raised at a seminar titled Building Partnerships for improving family planning in Pakistan, held at the Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) to mark World Contraception Day 2017 on Tuesday. Expressing their concern over the country’s galloping population, which was estimated to be 208 million, stakeholders engaged in health and family planning initiatives in the country said if the population continued to grow at the present rate the country couldn’t progress or achieve its global commitments of ending poverty and providing quality education and health services at grass-roots level.

Pakistan’s development indicators, including those related to maternal health and child health, were very poor, they said, adding that family planning was an effective way to deal with the issue. But there was no significant improvement in contraceptive use, which was 30pc, they said.

Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, chairperson of the Family Planning 2020 working group in Sindh, and other speakers agreed that there was no dearth of resources or expertise to promote family planning but the real challenge existed in communication gaps in engaging with communities and removing myths and misunderstanding regarding the safety of contraceptives.

MNA Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, a member of the standing committee on primary health, said criticism on the recent census had been of political nature but there were concerns over the NFC formula. “This formula was devised after the Eastern wing of Pakistan separated in 1971, which had more population than West Pakistan at that time,” she said, adding the government should take up the issues.

Later, Population Welfare Minister Mir Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani in his speech also shared similar concerns on the NFC award.

Representing Marie Stopes Society, Pakistan, Dr Agha Xaher Gul described the situation as a ‘hidden epidemic’ and said 90pc women were aware of modern contraceptive methods yet risked their life by turning to unsafe methods. “It is estimated that 6,000 abortions take place every day in Pakistan that come to around 2.2m abortion every year. Twenty-five per cent of all pregnancies are aborted,” he said, adding that concerns over the safety of contraceptives was a major barrier and needed to be addressed.

He called for proper counselling for family planning, birth spacing, and focusing on younger women starting families, women who were currently pregnant, and in post-abortion care.

Dr Riaz A. Memon, the chief executive officer of People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), spoke about integrating family planning services with primary healthcare services. The step could be a ‘game-changer’, as it would greatly help in reducing the high maternal and child mortality rates, he believed. About reasons for high maternal mortality rate, he said post-partum haemorrhage (excessive bleeding following delivery) accounted for 27pc deaths that could be saved with the help of family planning services.About PPHI’s achievements, he said over 250 basic health units had been upgraded as maternity centres across Sindh and made operational round-the-clock.

Dr Aisha Fatima of Save the Children, Dr Badar Munir representing the WHO, JSMU’s vice chancellor Prof Tariq Rafi, SOGP secretary Prof Nusrat Shah also spoke.

At the end of the event, which was organised by the JSMU in collaboration with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Pakistan, shields were distributed among the speakers.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2017