ISLAMABAD: A conference Thursday brought together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors at both national and provincial levels to discuss policy formulation and potential measures for expanding family planning voucher programmes across various districts in Pakistan.

Titled, “Roundtable Conference on the Scale-up of Family Planning Vouchers in Pakistan”, the moot was organised by the Population Council and the UK Department for International Development.

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Rubina Khalid while addressing the participants reiterated BISP’s commitment to the welfare of underprivileged communities, particularly women, through Benazir Kafaalat, Taleemi Wazaif and Nashonuma initiatives.

She emphasised the importance of empowering deserving women to make informed decisions about their education and healthcare.

She further highlighted that BISP maintained a database of over 38 million households through its National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), which was shared with other social protection institutions at the provincial level, adhering to strict security protocols.

According to a statement, BISP has also provided data for the pilot phase of the Family Planning Voucher Programme to support its implementation.

Discussing BISP’s role in maternal and child health, the BISP chairperson said that under the Benazir Nashonuma programme, conditional cash assistance and nutritious food were provided to pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as children under the age of two.

She urged parliamentarians to play an active role in raising public awareness about population growth and resource constraints.

She reiterated that quality education and healthcare were fundamental rights of every child and assured all stakeholders of BISP’s full support for effective maternal and child health initiatives.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2025