LAHORE, April 9: Punjab Health Minister Salima Hashmi has said the mother-child mortality rate in Pakistan is alarming, which should be a matter of concern for health managers.

Addressing a meeting on healthcare delivery system at the committee room of the Health Department on Tuesday, she said most of the deaths were caused by anaemia, malnutrition and untrained birth attendants.

Health Secretary Arif Nadeem, Additional Secretary (Technical) Dr Anwar Janjua, Punjab Health Sector Reforms Programme Director Farasat Iqbal, Provincial Coordinator on Lady Health Workers Programme Dr Akhtar Rashid Malik and other officers concerned attended the meeting.

Salima said a number of pregnant women lost their lives before reaching health centres, stressing the need for launching a vigorous public awareness campaign for rural women. She said supervision of skilled birth attendants could save the lives of the mother and child and there was a need to impress this fact upon women.

She further said there was a need for interval between births so children could be raised properly and the dietary needs of a mother and child were fulfilled. She said prices of medicines in Pakistan had gone beyond the reach of the common man and the poor and middle classes relied on public sector hospitals for treatment.

The minister underscored the importance of effective measures for access of rural patients, especially pregnant women, to basic health centres and rural health centres for medical assistance.

Addressing on the occasion, Arif Nadeem said the efforts and solid measures taken by the Health Department were yielding positive results and there was a gradual improvement in health indicators.

He said under the 24/7 programme, labour room facilities were being provided at all basic health centres of 12 districts.

He said the programme had been successful and its scope would be extended to all districts of the province.

The secretary said a “mother-and-child health week” would be observed during the current month in the entire province for creating awareness about mother-and-child health.