KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the current total fertility rate (TFR) of the country is 3.6 and his government was committed to bring it down to 2.8 in 2025 and 2.2 in 2030.
This he said on Friday while presiding over the 2nd meeting of Sind Population Taskforce here at CM House.
The meeting discussed various issues at length and expressed satisfaction that Sindh has been leading provinces in terms of interventions and pursuance of Family Planning-2020 targets which are now going to be linked with Sustainable Development Goals Target 2030.
The chair was apprised that survey and study has shown that people were not adopting family planning due to weak counseling and misconceptions regarding contraceptives. Functional integration has been paying results. The public and private sectors are on the same platform for achievement family planning targets.
With reference to compliance of CCI recommendations, Dr Talib Lashari, Technical Advisor, CIP said that most of the recommendations were compiled by the Sindh province. The Sindh was the only province that introduced SAYANA Press in Pakistan.
The chief minister said that despite resource constraints, his government was fully committed to support the cause of family planning. He said that the growth rate of population was high. He further said that federal government should convene Federal Taskforce meeting under the Prime Minister in compliance of the orders of Supreme Court, so that the support of Federal Government for seeking finances could be ascertained.
Murad decided to extend CIP upto 2025. The CIP is going to end in 2020, it has through forward of Rs1200 million. The CIP requires revision and setting of targets till 2025. In this regard, the chief minister directed for preparation of revised PC-I for placing it before the cabinet. The Reproductive Health Bill will be presented before the cabinet for endorsement and approval.
The recommendations of the taskforce will be brought before the cabinet for consideration and necessary action.
The chief minister was told that 885 male mobilisers have been trained and regularised to engage them for counseling of male members. 282 private hospitals have been declared as RHC-B with the facility of providing free of cost contraceptive. In Karachi such 26 facilities have been registered.
The chief minister has already directed Sindh Healthcare commission to directed 1000 private hospitals/clinics to set up mandatory family planning desk.
The meeting decided to review implementation status of the decisions taken so far in the next meeting.
The meeting was attended by Minister Health & Population Dr Azra Pechuho, Minister Labour Saeed Ghani, Minister Women Development Shahla Raza, Advisor Social Welfare Aijaz Shah Shirazi, Chairperson P&D, provincial secretaries of, Health & Population, school Education, Information, Women Development, Social Welfare, Focal Person and Technical Advisor Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) IP Dr Talib Lashari, CEO PPHI, Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Ms Bayramgul; Garabayeva , Head of UNFPA, Karachi, Representative of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and representative of USAID.
