Collective efforts needed to prioritise RMNCH services

Islamabad : Enhanced collaborative efforts involving multiple stakeholders at the national and international levels need to be prioritized to ensure effectiveness of health services utilization in Pakistan, with due prioritization being accorded to Reproductive, Maternal, New Born and Child Health (RMNCH).

Consensus to this effect emerged at an an international consultative meeting on ‘COVID-19: Impact on Health Services Utilization with a focus on RMNCH,’ here at the Health Services Academy (HSA) on Tuesday. The event was organized by the Health and Population Think Tank (HPTT) and the Ministry of National Health Services.

The meeting was attended by the provincial healthcare leadership, technical experts, development partners, and stakeholders from public and private institutes working on RMNCH.

RMNCH is a critical component of any healthcare system. Along with other components of health services, COVID-19 has severely impacted RMNCH services at the global and national levels. In case of Pakistan, provision of these essential health services and timely response by the government at the policy and operational levels is crucial to ensure smooth availability of RMNCH services as they were before.

The meeting featured a briefing on initiatives taken by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the RMNCH technical working group and development partners on pre- and post-COVID-19 scenario of RMNCH services. Potential strategies and challenges associated with escalating maternal and neonatal mortality, along with other issues at health system level, were highlighted.

The participants called for multi-stakeholders collaborative efforts among various institutes, as well as national and international organizations. Strategic questions were floated on the floor to get insights on mitigation strategies and potential solutions to improve RMNCH service delivery in Pakistan.

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Atta-Ur-Rehman mentioned the government’s response to RMNCH before and during COVID-19. COVID-19 risk factors for RMNCH were highlighted, with stakeholders making strategic recommendations in terms of technology use, integrated service delivery response, benefit risk model and data availability on RMNCH services.