World Population Day 2020: Message from ImdadAli Talpur (Director General Population Welfare Sindh)

TEXT: The world is celebrating the World Population Day amid COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it's a challenging opportunity how we transform ways and means to reach to women in need of family planning and reproductive health. The Population Welfare Department and its partners in public sector like Health Department, PPHI Sindh, IHS and civil society are making it possible for women who are vulnerable and remain under served. We are also creating awareness on COVID-19 as well as reproductive health rights and issues. Population Welfare Department, Department of Health and their partners in public sector and civil society aim to achieve a set of goals by 2030 related to Sustainable Development Goals. These are: Ending unmet need for family planning, ending gender-basedviolence including harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage, and ending all preventable aternal deaths.

The COVID-19 pandemic has critically undermined the progress made towards achieving the above goals, the impact of COVID-19 on meeting family planning needs:

• Clinical staff occupied with the COVID-19 response may not have time to provide services hence, dedicated staffs-facility based and community workers - are being asked to provide FPRH services under SOPs.

• Women are refraining from visiting health facilities due to fears about COVID-19 exposure or due to movement restrictions, therefore, community workers would fill the gap to reach to women in communities.

• Supply chain disruptions may happen if international transportation is disrupted for a longer period due to COVID-19. Therefore, PWD is rationalizing stocks distribution.

• Product shortages and lack of access to trained providers or facilities means women may be unable to use their preferred method of contraception, may instead use a less effective short-term method, or may discontinue contraceptive use entirely. With a view' to address this issue, field staff and community workers of DoH and PWD are being mobilized to reach to women in need.

On this occasion, I request all stakeholders including civil society to come forward and join hands with Population Welfare Department to ensure and extend quality family planning services at the door step of people of Sindh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020