LAHORE, Oct 19: Punjab Social Welfare and Women Development Minister Shaheen Atiqur Rehman claims that the mother mortality rate during pregnancy has come down.

She was speaking at the concluding session of a workshop of the National Committee for Maternal Health for Punjab chapter to finalize the emergency obstetric care manual at the Fatima Memorial Hospital here on Friday.

She claimed that the mother mortality rate had reduced to 340 mothers’ deaths out of 100,000 deliveries. She said proper diet was not available to pregnant women in rural and urban areas alike which caused different diseases. She stressed that the women should be given awareness about care during pregnancy.

The minister said the government was working to provide improved healthcare services at rural health centres and basic health units. Pakistan was the sixth country on the list of high rate of child mortality rate, she said.

Prof Dr Tehseen Malik, NCMH president Prof Dr Sadiqua Jafery, FMH executive committee chairperson Shahima Rehman and FMH executive director Maj-Gen Dr Ghulam Sabir Aziz (retired) also spoke on the occasion.

CONFERENCE: The Pakistan Orthopaedic Association has postponed its elections and international orthopaedic surgery conference scheduled to be held next month.

The decision was taken in the wake of current regional and international situation by the association’s executive committee in an emergency meeting chaired by its president Prof Younas Soomro.

POA secretary-general Dr Ashraf Nizami said the meeting had also postponed orthopaedic conferences to be organized by the International Orthopaedic Association and the Saarc Countries Orthopaedic Organizations in the country.

Dr Nizami said the meeting had decided that all the postponed conferences and association elections would now be held in March next year.

POA vice-president Dr Saeed Qazi said election commissioner Prof Tehseen Cheema would announce the details of the elections later on.