Forum for Safe Motherhood

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the world realize the significance of healthcare. Many governments, including Pakistan's, are now allocating more funds towards strengthening their healthcare systems. Resultantly, there is now a need to identify a key healthcare area for diverting funds based on Value for Money (VfM) analysis. Ensuring Value for Money during COVID 19 Value for Money (VfM) analysis is an essential decision-making tool used for aiding the allocation of government funds. It aims to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of outputs for each penny spent. This analysis helps in picking up projects that are cost-effective and maximize benefit to the general public. It is also an accountability tool and aids in avoiding the plunder of public funds. When observing government's COVID interventions, some major steps dominate the scene and are immediately visible. These include government's immediate response to the pandemic which was to increase the number of hospit

"Health is like money; we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it."- Josh Billings The COVID-19 pandemic, a catastrophic event, has made the whole world realize the significance of good health, making it more valuable than money. Many countries' inadequate response to this pandemic has revealed that health is often a neglected human right. These countries, including Pakistan, see the current outbreak as a crisis devoid of human rights considerations. Though the number of cases in Pakistan have reduced to a great extent, experts predict a devastating second wave due to negligence on the part of people. Pakistan's efforts against the first wave of COVID cases were impressive; with the incorporation of the human rights approach into this, the situation will be even more promising. Health – A Fundamental Human Right The right to health, or more formally, the right to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, was first recognized in the

COVID 19 – The Initial Response A novel strain of coronavirus — SARS-CoV-2 —reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, spread to more than 200 countries worldwide and was declared a Global Pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Drastic actions were taken by governments and authorities globally. As a result, lockdowns, social distancing, work from home, restrictions on social gatherings, isolation of those with symptoms, and diversion of most funds and health workforce to the COVID response became the norm the world over. Primary healthcare services were almost immediately slashed, with many services like Family Planning (FP), Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH) care, and immunization put on hold as Outpatient Departments (OPDs) were closed. COVID-19 & Health Services The health service delivery for elective cases halted, and preventive services decreased . Given the huge influx of COVID patients, health workers, supplies and medical equipment were channeled exclu

On July 15th and 16th, 2020 Forum for Safe Motherhood (White Ribbon Alliance Chapter of Pakistan) organized its third listening session in Umerkot, Sindh. Organized in collaboration with the Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) Secretariat, Population Welfare Department, Government of Sindh the two-day session aimed at bringing forward women’s key asks regarding Family Planning as well as their suggestions for addressing the same; and then taking these voices to concerned decision makers at the district level. The first day of the listening session was conducted at the MNCH Hall at Civil Hospital, Umerkot. A total of 15 women – 10 from the local community and 5 Lady Heath Workers (LHWs) – participated in the listening session. In line with COVID related safety protocols, the women were divided into two groups, with each group comprising of 7-8 women. Separate sessions were convened with each group. Both sessions were moderated by Additional District Coordinator (ADC) LHW Program and Polio

This World Population Day, are we listening to  What Women Want ? Tomorrow, July 11, on World Population Day, which highlights the urgency of population issues, White Ribbon Alliance members around the world are calling on everyone to uphold the human right to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including family planning.  Throughout 2018 and 2019, 359 partners asked nearly 1.2 million women and adolescent girls in 114 countries:  what is your top request for your maternal and reproductive healthcare?  Medicines and supplies, including family planning information, services and supplies, rose to the top of responses globally. They are in even larger demand i n Pakistan, where I am the National Coordinator of the Research & Development Forum for Safe Motherhood, a White Ribbon Alliance affiliate, and where approximately 5,000 community health volunteers mobilized demands from nearly 250,000 women and girls.  The request for the availability and access to modern family planning met

On July 8th & 9th, 2020 Forum for Safe Motherhood (White Ribbon Alliance Chapter of Pakistan) organized its second Listening Session in District Tharparkar, Sindh. Organized in collaboration with the Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) Secretariat, Population Welfare Department, Government of Sindh the two-day session aimed at bringing forward women’s key asks regarding Family Planning as well as their suggestions for addressing the same; and then taking these voices to concerned decision makers at the district level. On the first day, the session was conducted at the Reproductive Health Service (RHS) Centre at Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Chachro. A total of 15 women – 10 from the local community, 5 Lady Heath Workers (LHWs), and 01 Lady Health Supervisor (LHS) – participated in the listening session. In line with COVID related safety protocols, the women were divided into two groups, with each group comprising of 7-8 women. Separate sessions were convened with each group. Both ses

In Pakistan’s essentially patriarchal society, men’s views and opinions on subjects such as the ideal family size, spacing between births, and methods to be used for contraception have a strong impact on women's expectations and attitudes . With that in mind, it is indeed surprising that men have generally been less involved in both receiving as well as providing information on sexual and reproductive health. When it comes to family planning (FP), public health professionals the world over have been assiduously promoting the involvement of men as a critical ingredient for ensuring success of any FP program, yet in Pakistan male engagement in family planning remains an elusive reality.  Is Family Planning Only a Woman’s Job?  Though reproduction involves both men and women equally, family planning has traditionally been seen as the sole responsibility of women. Men, as decision makers, have greater say than women in matters such as when to start a family and the number of children t