Pakistan has the modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 25 per cent, which is one of the lowest in South Asia. Lack of access to such services is a major driver of maternal mortality, poor health and exclusion for women and girls.

These were the views by experts from the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Global Health and Development, who are part of Sihat Mand Khandan: Healthy Families for Pakistan Through Accelerated Sexual Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services, a project partnered with the United Nations Population Fund, the Sindh government, Aga Khan Foundation, and Aga Khan University.

Contraceptive prevalence is the proportion of women who are currently using, or whose sexual partner is currently using, at least one method of contraception, regardless of the method being used. It is reported as a percentage with reference to women of respective marital status and age group.

Funded by the Canadian government, the five-year project is exploring how to improve sexual and reproductive health, and family planning within the existing service delivery platforms in the public sector in Pakistan.

It involves enhancing awareness about family planning, provision of quality family planning counselling and services, and the capacity building of public health care providers at health care facilities and lady health workers in the selected districts of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Based on the learning and impact of the project after its completion in 2024, the interventions will be scaled up to other areas in the country.

“We were very pleased to see the public-private partnership in action with better health care and facilities, and training to health care providers,” commented Canadian High Commissioner Wendy Gilmour.

“Sindh Government is making efforts to enhance the family planning and reproductive health services in the province. We aim to achieve 57 per cent contraceptive prevalence rate by 2030,” said Sindh Minister of Health and Population Welfare Dr Azra Pechuho.

“Pakistan needs institutions like AKU, which is a role model for health care and academic excellence,” said Gilmour while talking to AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin after she returned to Karachi.

Dr Shahabuddin lauded all stakeholders for being part of an important initiative to strengthen the quality of maternal health and family planning services.