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WEEKLY
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| Schools planned to cut mortality rate |
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Saturday, November 07, 2009
Our correspondent
MANSEHRA: The National Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Programme would construct Community Midwives Schools in 12 districts to bring down the current ‘mother and infant mortality rate’ in NWFP, it was learnt.
The announcement was made at a three-day training workshop for teachers and tutors of CMW at concluded at Nathiagali on Friday. Instructors from 24 districts of NWFP were imparted training at the workshop.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Salar Khan, provincial coordinator for MNCH Programme, Dr Muzafar Ali Jakhrani, deputy programme manager MNCH, Islamabad, Dr Mohammad Sangeen, Nighat Durrani, Dr Shahzad Khan Swati, Dr Mohammad Qasim and others said because of high mortality rate in the country, government and DFID launched a six-year (2006 to 2012) MNCH Programme with an estimated cost of Rs 20 billion in the country.
They said currently the MNCH programme was functional in all the 24 districts of the province. The speakers said minimum qualification for employment in the CMW was matriculation and these CMWs after completion of 18-months training would be appointed at each village equipped with necessary health facilities. They said that it was pity that 90 percent deaths related to pre- and post-delivery cases were in the developing countries and that Pakistan was among the top countries with high infant and mortality rates in the world.
The speakers said currently 80 percent birth deliveries in rural areas of NWFP took place at homes at the hands of untrained birth attendants. They said this was a big reason for such a high mortality rate among infant and children in the country.
The speakers said MNCH was striving hard to bring down the infant mortality rate to less than 55 per 1000 live births by year 2011. They said keeping in view the wave of terrorism in some parts of the NWFP and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) it seemed a bit difficult, but all resources would be utilized to achieve the goal.
The speakers said the work on the construction of CMW schools had been started in 12 districts of NWFP in Peshawar, Mansehra, Chitral, Lower Dir, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi and Karak.Work would now be launched in another three districts of Kohat, Swat and Buner.
A total of 1810 Community Midwives (CMWs) would be appointed in the 24 districts to bring down the current mother and infant mortality rate. This will ensure skilled birth attendants in rural and far-flung areas of the province.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
