Daily Times

Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid on Tuesday said the Punjab government was taking concrete steps on family planning in the province.

She expressed these views during meeting with a delegation of World Bank here at Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD). P&SHD Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch, Special Secretaries Dr Asif Tufail and Dr Farrukh Naveed, DG Health Services Dr Haroon Jahangir and others were present in the meeting. The health minister and World Bank delegation discussed way forward for family planning initiatives in Punjab. During the meeting, Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Imran Sikandar Baloch shared the measures taken by the department on family planning.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the Punjab Human Capital Investment Project (PHCIP) was being launched in the province, adding that under the PHCIP, mothers in 11 districts would be given Rs.1000 on pre and post-natal visits at approved government facilities. She said that the development of a country depended on its population, adding that birth spacing was very important for health of mother and child. “The government is incentivizing doctors to provide counselling to mothers for deliveries in public sector hospitals,” she added.

She said that ten state-of-the-art mother and child hospitals were being set up in Punjab to ensure mother and child health, asserting that rethinking of priorities was crucial for successful family planning. “We are striving to provide best quality services in Punjab as per vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan”, she concluded. The World Bank delegation assured full support for family planning initiative in Punjab. They appreciated the efforts of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department for family planning in Punjab and added that the PHCIP shall be extremely useful to achieve development goals.