Press Releases 2007
USAID’s Festival In Jhelum To Improve Mother, Newborn Health
11/07/2007
Jhelum - The USAID Pakistan’s Health Office Director, Mary Skarie,
underlined the need for forging “government and community partnership”
to achieve “long-lasting improvements” in mother and newborn health.
“Mother
and newborn health is not solely the government’s responsibility.
Reducing maternal and newborn deaths is quite complex as equipment and
training by themselves are not enough,” said Health Director Mary
Skarie while speaking at a mela held here today to promote the role of
Lady Health Workers in improving mother and newborn health.
The
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded
Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborn (PAIMAN) and the National
Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care organized the mela
(festival) which featured a new music video that educates viewers on
mother and newborn health issues.
“In this battle against mother
and newborn deaths, USAID provides assistance by funding the PAIMAN,”
said USAID’s Skarie. “This initiative has been working with the
community of Jhelum and with communities throughout Pakistan to improve
maternal and newborn health.”
The Federal Secretary of Health,
Khushnud Akhtar Lashari; the Director General Health, Govt. of the
Punjab, Choudhary Farrukh Altaf; District Nazim, Jehlum; and national
and provincial coordinators for National Program for Family Planning
and Primary Health Care were also present on the occasion.
The
event was part of PAIMAN’s larger communications strategy to spread
maternal and newborn health messages and to increase policy makers’,
local officials’ and communities’ support for LHWs.
USAID’s
PAIMAN project builds the capacity of existing health systems and
fosters a community-based approach to ensure a continuum of care for
mothers and newborns.
Support for this project is part of the
$1.5 billion in aid that the U.S. Government is providing to Pakistan
over five years to improve economic growth, education, health and
governance and to assist with earthquake reconstruction.