"1st international conference of Obstetrics & Gynecology" with the theme "Women's Health in Pakistan- Get Momentum "was inaugurated at Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro on Friday. While addressing at the inaugural session the Vice Chancellor LUMHS Professor Noshad A Shaikh expressed that Women's health is a serious issue world over in general and in third world countries like Pakistan in particular.
The Government of Pakistan gives immense importance to the child and mother health. This is evident from the fact that this issue holds a pivotal position in the Millennium Developing Goals. Unfortunately; we have failed to achieve the goal of ensuring a healthy female population, with adverse effect on the entire family unit. It is no surprise that every fourth rural woman is anemic and every seventh woman suffers mortality of morbidity during pregnancy and childbirth.
He added that the academic institutions, especially medical universities, can play an important role in educating the female population to promote women health. This conference aims to bring experts in their relevant fields both from the country, and abroad to deliberate upon important health issues faced by our women.
The Chairperson Conference organizing Committee, Professor Roshan Ara Kazi expressed that it is the mission of Liaquat University to disseminate the updated knowledge and skill through Continuing Medical Education programs such as annual symposia, conferences, workshops as well as organizing the public awareness, seminars and free medical camps and many more activities.1st International Conference of Obstetrics and Gynecology is also a continuity of these educational activities of LUMHS.
She added that the theme of the conference is "Women's Health in Pakistan-Get Momentum". Government of Pakistan as a signatory of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) strived its level best for achieving the goals and targets but unfortunately it's lagging behind in many targets because of several reasons. Regarding MDG-5 that is Improving the maternal health by year 2015, maternal mortality has reduced from 340/100,000 live births in 2001 to 260/100,000 live births in 2013 but still we are away from the target, that is maternal mortality rate to be reduced by 75% (140/100,000) live births. Keeping the reproductive health scenario of the province of Sindh in mind, objective in organizing this conference is to disseminate the current information at the grass roots level to the postgraduate students and practicing doctors to fight against the women's ill health in the community.
She informed that regarding this conference we have conducted 12 pre conference workshops from 21st to 24th December on emergency obstetrics and neonatal care, assisted reproductive techniques, contraception, laparoscopic training and screening of carcinoma breast and carcinoma cervix and many more areas of our specialty as well as medical education.
The Chief Guest, Dr Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar expressed that Ministry of health always includes recommendations from such forums in policy making to provide all possible health benefits to the people of Sindh. The Health department shall do the best for this noble cause of women's Health to reduce alarming numbers of maternal deaths which is near highest in the country and the government is taking serious efforts in this regard.
He added that it was the vision of our great leader Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto that gave us institutes for medical education in Nawabshah and Larkana during our very first tenure to government, continuing to this mission, Shaheed Mohtarma Banazir Bhuto put another milestone during 1988 -1990 by deciding to have health dispensaries in every union council. Another big achievement of PPP government was induction of lady health visitors in the health system with the aim to support MNCH programs and reduce maternal and child deaths.
He informed that the great achievement of health ministry after 18th amendment is development of Sindh Health Sector strategy 2012-2020 by health Sector reform unit. The document provides health planning for eight years, and strategic directions for resource mobilization from the stakeholders including the public sector, international donors, corporate sector and philanthropic organizations. The aim is to maximize efforts to improve health status of the people in Sindh in congruence with international and national commitments and in response to Sindh's contextual needs. There is a greater awareness of health issues right now within the department and outside the Health Department and the government is committed to resolve the health issues on top priority.
Comments
Comments are closed.