World Population Day 11th July 2021: Messages from Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed CEO, HANDS

TEXT: This year again, we are still facing COVID-19 Pandemic, recovering mostly from the disruptions in sexual and reproductive health services in most part of the world.

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, it emerges that there is a need to reimagine the delivery of essential health care in the COVID-19 era, with focus on prioritizing continuation of FP & RH services, coordinated planning among public and private sector stakeholders, community engagement; infection prevention and control; personcentered, competent and respectful care. This collective reimagining created resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sindh and is just the latest example of partnership stepping up in other parts of the country to ensure that our communities can access essential sexual and reproductive health care. Safeguarding rights of women and girls is our commitment in partnership with FP 2020 to make it FP2030 for building on the momentum in collaboration of Health and population departments in Pakistan.

HANDS community based outreach program through Marvi workers ensured Rights and choices by providing doorstep information, counseling and services with the help of digital technology to the rural communities. Our Marvi workers who are now digitally equipped and skilled are supported by their supervisors. We have created new role for the LHVs, as they are now well skilled in FP technology, communication and use of digital technology. They are the clinical services provider for ensuring more choices available for rural women of FP including IUCD, Injections, Oral pills and condoms. They are trained on multi-tasking also acting as social agent and promoting women empowerment and supporting women in their decisions to adopt birth spacing and choice of method, as they directly engaged the women and husbands, encouraged family for inter-spousal, communication, doing mentoring of Marvi workers for their empowerment. The aim is to ensure that ultimately, women must be empowered educationally, economically and politically to exercise choice over their bodies and fertility.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021