World Population Day: Message from Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Health & Population Welfare, Sindh

The Government of Sindh is commemorating World Population Day on July 11,2025, to draw attention to the alarming rate of population growth and its far-reaching impact on all sectors of society.

Following the devolution of powers, Sindh has undertaken several key policy initiatives. These include aligning Family Planning and Reproductive Health efforts with Pakistan's international commitments made at the London Summit 2012; implementing the Costed Implementation Plan (CIP); formulating the Sindh Population Policy 2016; and developing the FP2030 Roadmap. These efforts aim to improve the quality of life for people across Sindh through a rights-based approach and by introducing family planning services at tertiary and secondary care hospitals through public-private partnerships. These initiatives help foster an enabling environment to transform social and gender norms—a hallmark of a progressive society. On the legislative front, the enactment of the Early Marriage Restraint Act 2013 and the Reproductive Health Rights Act 2022, which includes provisions for pre-marital counselling, telehealth and self-care, has provided crucial support to family planning efforts.

Sindh has maintained contraceptive commodity security since 2015-16. Innovative methods like Sayana Press—a three-month self-injectable contraceptive—have been introduced and scaled up. The focus has shifted toward long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) such as implants and intrauterine contraceptives (IUCs), with 50% of the allocated contraceptive procurement budget earmarked for LARCs this year.

All stakeholders from the public and private sectors are represented in the Sindh FP2030 Working Group, which meets on quarterly basis under my chairpersonship. Additionally, Sindh's Population Taskforce, chaired by the Chief Minister, tracks the implementation of recommendations from the Council of Common Interests (CCI), as mandated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan's suo moto notice on population growth.

The Government of Sindh remains committed to consolidating reforms in family planning and reproductive health through an integrated and programmatic approach. We are focusing on service quality, youth and adolescent engagement through Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE) and Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC).

Sindh is steadfast in pursuing the FP2030 goals, aiming to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) to 47% by 2025 and 57% by 2030. Population Welfare Department (PWD), Department of Health (DoH), PPHI Sindh, and our private partners are working in close coordination to meet these targets.

World Population Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to these goals. I commend the Department of Population Welfare for organizing meaningful activities to mark this important occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025