Everyone to Play role in Improving Health of Women, Children
- October 26, 2013, 9:14 pm
- Breaking News
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QUETTA Oct 26 (PPI): All partners including governments and policymakers, donors, civil society, health professionals and their professional associations have an important role in implementation of Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. This was stated by speakers at Multi-stakeholder workshop organized by Save the Children to accelerate implementation of the UN Every Woman Every Child Strategy in Pakistan.
Delivering welcome remarks Nadeem Shahid, Provincial Manager Advocacy and Campaigns, Save the Children Balochistan shared the objectives of workshop. The Global Strategy is ambitious. It calls for all partners to unite and take real action – through enhanced financing, strengthened policy and improved service delivery he said.
Dr Muhammad Irshad Danish, Advocacy Expert on Children and Women’s Health shared salient points of UN Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) Strategy and explained its relevance to Pakistan. He said EWEC aims to save the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015 along with preventing 33 million unwanted pregnancies, ending stunting in 88 million children, and protecting 120 million children from pneumonia worldwide. It is an unprecedented global movement that mobilizes and intensifies international and national action by governments, multilaterals, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women and children around the world said Dr Danish. This Global Strategy is an important step toward better health for the world’s women and children. But it must rapidly be translated into concrete action and measurable results, and all parties must make concrete commitments to enhance financing, strengthen policy and improve service delivery, he added. With all actors joining in this concerted effort, we can replace the needless suffering of thousands of Pakistani women and children with health and hope.
Sharing overall situation of women and children’s health in Balochistan, Dr Faisal, Nutrition officer UNICEF Balochistan said that today, nearly half of Pakistan’s children and mothers suffer from under-nutrition. Chronic malnutrition levels in Pakistan have not changed in the last 40 years and have been estimated to cost the economy 3% of GDP per year which makes the problem of malnutrition worse than the energy crisis which is costing 2% of the GDP said Dr Faisal. Scaling up Nutrition intervention is an important component of EWEC. We require coordinated efforts to implement EWEC strategy in Balochistan.
The presentations were followed by discussion about the role of different stakeholders in accelerating the implementation of UN EWEC strategy in Balochistan. Participants suggested that government of Balochistan and Development Partners should invest in Women and Children Health Projects in remote districts of province. Removing cultural, social and accessibility barriers was also emphasized by participants.
MPA Ms Yasmeen Lehari said that GoB is committed to provide best quality health services to all, particularly to marginalized sections of society. She said government will support all stakeholders in implementation of EWEC in Balochistan. GoB has devised an integrated development plan considering international commitments including MDGs and global strategy for women and children’s health, she added.
Delivering concluding remarks Ms Rehana Khilji , Head of UN Women Balochistan appreciated Save the Children for generating debate on implementation of Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s health in Province. She said GoB should enact all pending bills, including Balochistan Child Protection and Welfare Bill, and “Balochistan Promotion and Protection of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Bill 2013â€.
Workshop was attended by a large number of government officials from different departments including health, nutrition, education, Social Welfare and Women Development as well as representatives of civil society organizations working for women and children health and rights.
