Family planning: apeakers lay stress on bridging gap between policy, practice

Speakers at a workshop recommended that the gap between policy and practice in terms of family planning needs to be filled while Millennium Development Goal (MDG-5 (b) and unmet needs for family planning required to be addressed effectively. They stated this while addressing at a media workshop organised by Rahnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) for advocacy and lobbying campaign with media and all other stakeholders on FP Vision-2020 commitments.
The event was attended by media, government officials, partners, volunteers, religious scholars and line departments of provincial chapters. In the year of 2012, global partners devised Family Planning Vision-2020 in London Summit. The purpose was to expand excess to FP information, services and supplies to an additional 120 million women and girls in 69 poorest countries in the world till 2020.
It is a global partnership that supports the rights of women, and girls to decide freely and for themselves, whether, when and how many children they want to have. Tewodros Melesse, Director General, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) visited Pakistan on June 5, 2012 before the summit to express international solidarity with Pakistan and had meetings with parliamentarians (including lawmakers from GB & AJK), policy makers, media, NGOs and civil society and assessed that Pakistan has worst Family Planning Indicators in the region.
Dr Shafqat Sheikh, Director General (Technical), Ministry of Health, Regulations & Co-ordination explained the importance of FP-2020 and stressed on the implement of guidelines of FP-2020. Pakistan has 35 percent contraception ratio against the target of 55 percent by 2020. He said there are myths, misconception and taboo about contraceptive practices and need awareness in this regard to overcome such barriers. Population is the denominator of all development indicators. It is the responsibility of provinces to control population. Unless provinces commitment and ownership, this program can not success, he added.
He said after the 18th Constitutional amendment, there is no longer a federal ministry looking after population welfare and each province has the chance to start fresh, formulate its won policy, allocate funds, make it a high priority and address this issue as effectively as possible. Muhammad Bilal Regional Project Director Rahnuma-FPAP said the organisation is promoting family planning and sexual and reproductive health as a basic human right. It further focusing on improving the quality of life of the poor and marginalized.
Bahadur Shah, Babar Zaheer and others also expressed their views on the subject. Dr Rubina Moin, MS-FHH apprised the participants about safe motherhood services being provided by FHH. During said workshop the recommendations put forwarded are population agenda should be implemented by provinces after 18th Amendment (devolution plan), reproductive health may be part of curriculum, and census may be conducted as population is denominator of economic development and support in achieving 55 percent CPR till 2020.