Report Company
MNCH
The health status indicators of Pakistan are poorer than most low-income countries, even when compared with countries having a lower Gross National Product per capita. The percentage of total government health expenditure in relation to Gross Domestic Product in Pakistan is also much lower than many developing countries. While the health of the population in Pakistan has improved over the past decades, the rate and level of improvement has been unsatisfactory.
Contributing factors include poverty, low levels of literacy and lack of civic facilities such as proper sanitation and water. More importantly, however, there are weaknesses in the healthcare delivery system including insufficient focus on preventive interventions, gender imbalances, weak human resource development and insufficient funds.
Since the country became independent, there have been considerable improvements in the health indicators. One example is that the infant mortality rate (IMR) has decreased from over 150 in 1950s to 82 in 2002. Unfortunately, a corresponding decrease in newborn mortality rate (deaths under one month of age) has not been achieved. The newborn mortality rate now constitutes more than half of all infant deaths. Likewise, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is believed to have declined considerably since independence and is estimated to range between 350-400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Contraceptive prevalence rate has shown a slow and steady increase over the most recent time period (1980 and later), although the increase in the use of traditional methods and condoms is higher than that of other temporary methods. Surgical sterilization still seems to be the method of choice for women having five or more births already. Total fertility rate (TFR) has shown a steady decline over the last two decades, which some scholars consider to be as remarkable as that in the East Asian countries where the demographic transition is near completion. Nonetheless, overall progress in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) has remained unsatisfactory when compared with neighboring countries, whereby our IMR, MMR and newborn mortality rates are higher than those in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
In Pakistan infants and newborn babies die mainly due to birth asphyxia, intra-uterine growth retardation, acute respiratory infections and diarrhea. All of these causes are both preventable and treatable. A majority of births occur at home and are attended by untrained traditional birth attendants. The major causes of maternal deaths are hemorrhage, puerperal sepsis, toxemia of pregnancy and obstructed labor. Several studies on maternal mortality have identified the need for addressing the three delays in accessing emergency obstetric care and for integrated efforts for saving mothers' lives both at the community and hospital level.
The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees basic human rights to all citizens, which includes equitable access to health and social services. Government of Pakistan (GOP) is aware of the huge burden of preventable deaths and morbidity among women and children and is committed to improving their health status. Unfortunately, concerted efforts to improve the health of mothers and children have been lacking. Short-term and localized programs and projects have failed to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in MNCH indicators. Such improvements can only be achieved through a national level, comprehensive, focused and effective program that is owned and managed by the districts, and is customized to meet the district's specific needs.
Contributing factors include poverty, low levels of literacy and lack of civic facilities such as proper sanitation and water. More importantly, however, there are weaknesses in the healthcare delivery system including insufficient focus on preventive interventions, gender imbalances, weak human resource development and insufficient funds.
Since the country became independent, there have been considerable improvements in the health indicators. One example is that the infant mortality rate (IMR) has decreased from over 150 in 1950s to 82 in 2002. Unfortunately, a corresponding decrease in newborn mortality rate (deaths under one month of age) has not been achieved. The newborn mortality rate now constitutes more than half of all infant deaths. Likewise, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is believed to have declined considerably since independence and is estimated to range between 350-400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Contraceptive prevalence rate has shown a slow and steady increase over the most recent time period (1980 and later), although the increase in the use of traditional methods and condoms is higher than that of other temporary methods. Surgical sterilization still seems to be the method of choice for women having five or more births already. Total fertility rate (TFR) has shown a steady decline over the last two decades, which some scholars consider to be as remarkable as that in the East Asian countries where the demographic transition is near completion. Nonetheless, overall progress in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) has remained unsatisfactory when compared with neighboring countries, whereby our IMR, MMR and newborn mortality rates are higher than those in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
In Pakistan infants and newborn babies die mainly due to birth asphyxia, intra-uterine growth retardation, acute respiratory infections and diarrhea. All of these causes are both preventable and treatable. A majority of births occur at home and are attended by untrained traditional birth attendants. The major causes of maternal deaths are hemorrhage, puerperal sepsis, toxemia of pregnancy and obstructed labor. Several studies on maternal mortality have identified the need for addressing the three delays in accessing emergency obstetric care and for integrated efforts for saving mothers' lives both at the community and hospital level.
The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees basic human rights to all citizens, which includes equitable access to health and social services. Government of Pakistan (GOP) is aware of the huge burden of preventable deaths and morbidity among women and children and is committed to improving their health status. Unfortunately, concerted efforts to improve the health of mothers and children have been lacking. Short-term and localized programs and projects have failed to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in MNCH indicators. Such improvements can only be achieved through a national level, comprehensive, focused and effective program that is owned and managed by the districts, and is customized to meet the district's specific needs.