INTERVENTIONS TO

IMPROVE MATERNAL
HEALTH IN PAKISTAN
Sher Ali
3rd Semester
 INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE
MATERNAL HEALTH IN PAKISTAN
Objectives:

To analyze different programs for improving maternal health

 INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL
HEALTH
Contents:

Introduction
Interventions:
1. Training of TBAs
2. LHWs Program
3. MNCH Program
 INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL
HEALTH
The Pakistan is signatory to MDGs.
Goal 4 & 5 are particularly focusing on maternal and child health
Aim to provide wider access to better quality services
Reverse Pakistans poor morbidity and mortality indicators.
 INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL
HEALTH
However, progress on improving MCH has been slow and remains a
challenge.

Pakistan has lagged behind most developing nations, including neighbours

Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka (MNCH, 2006).

Pakistans Maternal and Child Health indicators remain extremely poor.

 INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL
HEALTH
Pakistan has focused on improving the access to health care services;
1. Initially through building of more health facilities
2. upgrading the skill level of the HC providers from paramedics to doctors.

Even with these increased expenditures the access and utilization

indicators did not show a significant improvement.
 INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL
HEALTH
More significantly the disadvantaged and vulnerable segments of the
population were excluded from these developments in the health sector.

The paradigm shift from investing exclusively in infrastructure to human

resource for health and bringing the services closer to the people
 Interventions
Training of TBA,S
In Pakistan, TBAs conduct 60 - 80% of deliveries.
A training program started by govt in the early 1970s, to train TBAs.
But the training program failed to reduce maternal mortality:
1. because of the poor quality of training, and
2. lack of monitoring & supervision of the tba,s activities .
 NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR FAMILY
PLANNING AND PRIMARY HEALTH
CARE
National Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care was launched in 1994,
for delivering essential primary health care services to the community through Lady Health
Workers.
Almost 100,000 Lhws in whole
19905 Lhws in kpk
Lhws provide basic community services to all rural and poor urban areas in Pakistan
including;
FP &PHC
BF & Immunization
Nutrition
 National MNCH Program
Background to Providing MNCH Services:

Prior to 2005, Ministry of Health did not have a separate strategy on MNCH, as a
result of which the maternal newborn and child health services were weak,
insufficient and fragmented.

Govt. of Pakistan provided MNCH services through both its Ministry of Health
and its Ministry of Population Welfare, with their respective health departments.
 Services were also delivered by other separate vertical programs or
through projects, such as the Womens Health Project, Reproductive
Health Project and/or National Nutrition Project.

However, none of these programs or projects provided comprehensive

MNCH services.
 MNCH PROGRAM

In October 2005, with the consensus of several important stakeholders in Pakistan, a National Maternal & Child
Health Policy and Strategic Framework (2005-2015) was developed, which envisioned a country where women and
children were healthy and no family would lose a mother or child due to preventable or treatable causes.

To provide coordination and direction, the National Maternal Neonatal & Child Health Program was launched
Major Players and Programs:
The major players and programs working for MNCH in Pakistan are;

1) Key Ministry Programs:

i. National Program For Family Planning and Primary Health Care also known as (LHWP)
ii. National Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Program
 MNCH PROGRAM

2) Other Programs:
i. Ministry of Population Welfare
ii. Womens Health Project
iii. National Nutrition Program
iv. National Expanded program on Immunization
v. Polio Eradication Initiative
vi. Integrated management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Strategy
vii. Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) Control project
viii. Reproductive Health Project