LAHORE: Begum Atiqur Rahman, wife of the West Pakistan Governor, underlined here today [Feb 20] the need for minimising the appalling rate of maternity deaths and infant mortality in this country. She was inaugurating the 10th annual National Mother and Children’s Fortnight held under the auspices of the Maternity and Child Welfare Association of Pakistan.

She agreed with the sponsors of the Fortnight on the need for an organised and positive action on community level with a view to developing a social machinery for offering basic maternity and child health services. This object, she said, could be achieved if the philanthropists of the country came forward and contributed liberally towards the opening of more and more maternity and child health centres...

Earlier, President of the Association Rana Abdul Hamid Khan said... Pakistan’s annual infant mortality rate was about 120 per thousand livebirth, while maternal mortality rate was six to ten per thousand livebirths. This meant that the rate of maternal and infant mortality was 20 and eight times higher, respectively, as compared to developed countries... Begum Riffat Rashid said that Pakistan only spent 1.5 per cent of her gross national income on health as compared to 4.6 per cent allocated in most other countries. — Agency

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2020