U.S. Lauds Health Ministry's Family Planning Initiative

December 15, 2009

Islamabad - Ambassador Robin Raphel, U.S. Coordinator for Economic and Development Assistance, lauded Tuesday's National Conference on the Delivery of Family Planning Services by Health Care Providers as an important initiative that could significantly reduce preventable maternal and child deaths.

The Ministry of Health announced at the conference its first ever national plan of action for the delivery of family planning services through all tiers of the health system. The event was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"Birth spacing saves lives," Ambassador Raphel said. "Promoting birth spacing and meeting family planning needs could prevent 23,000 maternal deaths and 1.1 million deaths of children under the age of five in Pakistan over the next five years."

Support for this project is part of the $1.5 billion per year in assistance that the U.S. government is providing to Pakistan over the next five years to improve economic growth, education, health and governance and to assist with earthquake reconstruction.