ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health on Friday expressed serious concern over the management of health facilities in the federal capital.
The committee recommended handing them over to the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations (NHSR). The standing committee met under the chairmanship of MNA Khalid Hussain Magsi and was briefed about the issue of reproductive health.
During the discussion, members were informed that health facilities in the capital were being managed by three different departments: the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD), Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
The meeting was informed that the population control programme was being run in the capital by the CADD Ministry. “However, the operational units are working under different administrative set-ups. This is affecting the efficiency of the programme,” the meeting was informed.
“After the passage of the 18th Amendment, the health sector has been devolved to provinces. The NHSR Ministry has been given the role of regulating and running only a few national level programmes, such as immunisation and control of drug prices,” the officials said.
Federal Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar said that the ministry had proposed a plan to the prime minister to establish a Federal Health Authority to address the issues of health in the federal capital.
The members unanimously recommended transferring the health departments of federal capital working under various administrative set-ups to the Federal Ministry of NHSR.
Head of Gynecology Department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Dr Nasir Tasneem told the meeting that according to a survey, 2.2 million illegal abortions were performed in the country.
“The ratio of unintended pregnancies in the country is 20 percent. The only provision in the law to terminate it is when the life of mother is in danger,” she said. She said that there was no record of abortions performed after marriages.
Dr Tasneem said abortion complications were mostly reported in people from rural and lower income background people when they opted for illegal ways for abortions which were unsafe.
Federal Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar also said that awareness should be raised about modern methods of birth control to control the rising ratio of abortions in the country.
She said that the country’s birth rate was at an alarming level. “It is even more than Iran and India,” she said.
She said that population centers must be established in the hospitals to facilitate the people.
MNA Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla said that the issue of population control could not be dealt with by simply establishing new authorities.
“It is also a social issue. Any new birth control programme is opposed by religious parties. The committee must take them into confidence to make the population control programme more successful,” he said.
MNA Col (r) Dr Amirullah Marwat said the population explosion was the biggest challenge facing the country. “The NHSR must start a campaign for family planning. The ratio of married women who undergo abortions has risen because of a lack of awareness about family planning,” he said.
Committee Chairman Khaild Hussain Magsi said that the issue of reproductive health had been neglected by all governments. “Serious measures must be taken to control the birth rate and illegal abortions. The poor people suffer the most due to this problem,” he said.
The members expressed serious concern over reports that private hospitals were performing illegal abortions.
Discussion on another agenda item: ‘Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Bill, 2016’ was differed.
Discussion on Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and role of Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in reducing high prices of medicines was also deferred till the next meeting.
Published in Daily Times, September 9th 2017.