Wisal Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: 30-year old Rabia sitting on the bench in Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar to meet with the Gynae specialist for sterilization and family planning advice.
Rabia has six daughters as she married at the age of 15 while her husband is a Rickshaw driver and her husband always wish for son.
Doctor advised Rabia not to continue her pregnancy because she is suffereing from anemia and complications may occur if she gets pregnant.
According to the Pakistan Democratic and Health Survey Report in Pakistan around 275 mothers died in the country out of 100,000 while more than 8,000 babies died during pregnancy due to complications .
According to the District Health Information System Khyber Pakhtunkhwa August, 2017 report around 208 mothers died in KP during pregnancy while 30 mothers died in Peshawar.
According to the recent census report of 2017 Pakistan population has reach to 207.8 million while in 1998 census report the country has 130 million population.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Peshawar division that includes district Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda has a total population of over 7.9 million as compared to 3.39 million in 1998.
Rehnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan KP Manager Gohar Zaman while talking to The Frontier Post said that in the London summit FP-2020 goal KP was given the target to reach the population of 55 % while KP government give its commitment to 42 % to reach to Universal access and reproductive health.
He lamented that KP modern contraceptive prevalence is only 20 % while traditional methods of contraceptive is 35 %, adding that if we covered the 42 % target modern contraceptive methods should be adopted to control the population.
He further added that Rehnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan is the oldest private sector department which was working on population control and that covered 10 % population of the country.
He informed that according to the US Pop-Council survey in Pakistan around 0.2 million illegal abortions were conducted every year which is 13% contributor to the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).
He added that unwanted pregnancy are major cause of mothers death because most of the time they visit quacks and unskilled workers as they were highly charged because of the social norms and taboos.
He further added that un-meet need in KP is 26 % which means no access to women to get information regarding Family Planning and Reproductive Health.
He further informed that Couple Year of Protection (CYP) contributing 8 % while this year in CYP our target for KP TO reach around 4, 25000 populations for reproductive health.
He added that RFPAP working across KP with 26 family care centre including two sixteen bed hospital including in Kohat and Peshawar.
The information share by the Population and Welfare Department on the request of Right to Information Act 2013 and share their progress and achievement with The Frontier Post.
Casted Implementation Plane (CIP) for implementation of population policy KP-2015 has been developed with the assistance of UNFPA through Pathfinder international and was presented to the Planning and development department KP.
The CIP is being re-casted in the light of the recommendation of the P&D, similarly action plane till 2032 for the population policy has also been developed for achieving goals of the population policy.
The department further said that the current provincial government knows the importance of population and welfare department role and committed to extend the service delivery to gross root level.
In this connection, one hundred Family Welfare Centre, five RHCs, 4 MSUs, one regional training institute in Malakand and a population and research training Institute & Social Mobilization have been added through provincial ADP.
The department report further said that there were 632 Family Welfare Center across KP while 34 Mobile Units were working in rural areas while 31 RHSCs center providing comprehensive FP service including Contraceptive surgery.
The report further said that office building in Hayatabad Peshawar has been constructed by the provincial government through PWD, Construction of building for regional Training Institute Abbotabad & Malakand at Batkhela.
The department while sharing the performance said that Five RHSCs at DHQs and THQ hospital including in Buner, Karak, Lakki-Marwat, Tank and Dir Lower, making a total number of 31 RHS across KP.
The department further said that establishment of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Centre at Zanana Hospital D. I. Khan. Physiologist, Assistant to Physiologist, two community mobilizers Male and female are catering to the need of youth and adolescent Reproductive health issue.
A comprehensive training of youth groups and all field staff has been arranged through pathfinder with the assistance of UNFPA while total beneficiaries are 2,676 including 1,084 were male while 1,592 female.
Improvement in quality of service of reproductive health care through capacity building and hard ware support, Providing UV lights to 14 RHS, replacement of 270 IUCDs Kits.
The Population and Welfare Department said that an International Ulema conference was held on 15th and 16th March 2016 at a local hotel in Peshawar with the assistance of GIZ on the role and responsibilities of religious leaders in promoting RH &FP in the province. Capacity building of ulema was carried in two district including Nowshera and Haripur.
Enrollment of 21 Ulema /Imam and Khateeb was under taken in 4 district including Batagram, Torghar, Nowshera, and Malakand on pilot basis under the project Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Population and Research Training Institute and Social Mobilization.
Around 232 employees of different cadre have been promoted and 3061 upgraded, 2,756,000 clients of mother and care and general aliment have been facilitated, 4,599,000 clients of family planning have been served while result based management has been implemented in four district including Charsadda, Mardan, Peshawar and Nowshera while RBM is being implemented in 05 district including Swabi, Haripur, Dir (lower) , Bunner and Karak.
Secretary Population & Welfare Department Fazli Nabi talking to The Frontier Post said that in 1998 censes our province population was one corer 72 lack and now in 2017 after 19 years it was reach 30.5 million.
He further said that KP government planning according to the FP -2020, adding Pakistan has commitment of 50 % contraceptive , adding that after the Millennium Devopment Goals (MDGs) and now Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) target were 3.7 for reproductive health service.
He further said that in 2015 Population policy was approved and in 2016 it was initiated by the KP government. We have casted plane medium term goal 2020 CPR 42% total fertility rate 2012 –PDHF Fertility Rate was 3.9 and will be reduce it up to 3.3 in 2020.
He added that SDGs 2030 to 2032 contraceptive prevalence rate 55 % in KP total fertility rate will be and our fertility rate will be 2.1 % which is call replacement fertility population growth will be 1.3 and population stabilization.
He further added that 31 % youth with age of 15-30 years in the country and the progress in population will be continue .He added that it was also a fact that education ratio in female is less and if a female educated fertility is less fertility behavior and spacing major issues, adding that when a girls from 15 to 19 married MMR ration increase.
Fazli Nabi added that already government has approved PC-1 as in that around 1,000 clerics will be involve for reproductive health while more 1,020 centre will be established across KP.
He lamented that in the new program the Population Welfare Department and Education Department with collaboration will take initiative to conduct visits of doctors, social mobilozers to create awareness among college and university students about reproductive health and hygiene.
He further added that local members including district members and union council’s representative will be also taken in loop to control the population growth and reproductive health in their concern areas.
He accepted the fact that there were 17000 LHWs in KP but they were involving in polio campaign, adding that the department with negotiation with the health department to give again the responsibility of FP to LHWs and Mid Wives and other health department workers.
He further added that in 2017 when we check tracking track of KP in May 2017 our prevalence contraceptive rate was 34 % and our CPR rate was annual increase 1.4 % and if we want to reach from 34 % to 42 % CPR we will be reaching to 2.4 % if we achieve our target.
He added that this target is not impossible although it’s challenging but if the health department and Population Welfare Department developed synergies and developed coordination then we can easily achieved 42 % CPR which is our target.
He added that we are also in contact with the federal government to achieve the 42 % contraceptive goal, adding that Population and Welfare Department is hopeful and on right track towards its goal and commitment.
