QUETTA, Jul 10 (APP):To commemorate the World Population Day, the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CCSOs) have called on the federal and provincial governments to take concrete steps for sustainable population growth.
A statement issued by the Population Council on Wednesday said the Pakistan faces significant challenges in managing its population growth, directly impacting resources and public services. Despite being water-abundant at independence, Pakistan is now the third most water-stressed country globally.
The Coalition highlights the need to reduce maternal mortality, noting that 11,000 maternal deaths occur annually in Pakistan, a third of which occur due to closely spaced and repeated pregnancies. Increasing contraceptive use from 34% to 52 percent could save 3,800 mothers. Similarly, the high infant mortality rate, with 62 infants dying per 1,000 live births, could be reduced by saving 140,000 infants with increased contraceptive use. The Coalition would be able to bring to attention the government’s steps to raise the contraceptive prevalence rate.
With 50 million people living in poverty, rapid population growth exacerbates this issue. The Coalition seeks tangible measures to be taken by the government to prevent more people from falling below the poverty line.
The Coalition further urged the government to explore all possible avenues to expand access to family planning services to lower the high unmet need for family planning. It recommends that community-based health workers such as Community Midwives (CMWs) and Lady Health Workers (LHWs) should be engaged to improve access to family planning services in remote and rural areas. Research evidence demonstrates that collaborative efforts between CMWs and LHWs, supported by health and population welfare departments and supplied with contraceptives, can significantly reduce the unmet need for family planning.
The answer to current challenges lies in achieving balance between population and resources, which will lead to a robust and equitable Pakistan, a nation where every individual thrives, resources are distributed fairly and the burden of population growth is shared equally, it said.