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Business Recorder
29-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Sindh govt committed to women's health and well-being: Murad
KARACHI: Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving women's health across the province. In his message On the occasion of the International Day of Action for Women's Health, the Chief Minister stated, 'This day serves as a reminder to highlight the health challenges women face and to encourage effective and sustained action to address them. A healthy woman is the foundation of a healthy society.' CM Shah emphasised that the Sindh government has launched multiple programmes aimed at enhancing women's health. 'A comprehensive maternal and child health programme is underway across the province to safeguard the lives of mothers and newborns by providing them with essential healthcare services,' he said. The CM highlighted that 23,185 Lady Health Workers have been deployed throughout Sindh to deliver healthcare services directly to women at their doorsteps. He also pointed out the success of the 'National Health Support Programme,' which is being implemented with the support of the World Bank. 'This programme primarily focuses on improving care for pregnant women, mothers, and newborns to ensure better health outcomes.' 'The efforts of the Sindh government are proving to be a milestone in the journey towards safeguarding women's health, security, and well-being,' the Chief Minister concluded, reiterating his government's resolve to continue prioritising women's health and empowerment for a stronger, healthier society.
Business Recorder
25-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Reforms key to recovery, poverty reduction for Pakistan: World Bank
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's path to sustainable economic recovery and poverty alleviation rests on comprehensive reforms that prioritise human capital, macroeconomic stability, climate resilience, sustainable energy, and private sector growth. This was stated by the World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde, at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Pakistan. She commended the authorities for the reform momentum and stressed the need for continuity in implementation to sustain economic stability and to elicit a stronger investment and growth response by the private sector. Pakistan's economic turnaround wins global recognition: World Bank Anna Bjerde met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed her appreciation for the collaboration on the new 10-year World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework with Pakistan. They also discussed the need for coordinated reforms at the federal and provincial levels to ensure sustained and inclusive growth. The World Bank official said, 'during my visit, we discussed the next steps on the reform agenda of the government, especially in the fiscal, digital, and energy sectors, as well as the potential of the country in terms of private-led growth and entrepreneurship, particularly to create quality jobs for women and youth.' She also met the Minister of Economic Affairs and Governor of the World Bank Group, Ahad Khan Cheema; the Minister of Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb; the Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal; the Minister of Energy (Power Division), Sardar Awais Laghari; the Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah; the Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme, Rubina Khalid; the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Rashid Mahmood Langrial; as well as members of the National Assembly, the Senate, women leaders and other senior government representatives. The discussions focused on implementing the Country Partnership Framework to help address the most critical socio-economic challenges of the country, in terms of human capital development, particularly for women and girls, access to water and sanitation, climate resilience, and natural disaster risk reduction, and the foundations of private-led growth and job creation. Bjerde had the opportunity to visit the World Bank-supported project sites in Shaheed Benazirabad District in Sindh, where she was accompanied by Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, and Sindh Minister of Health, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho. She and the World Bank delegation were hosted by the First Lady of Pakistan and member of National Assembly, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. The visit included meetings with beneficiaries and staff of the 2022 Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project, as well as an exchange with the medical staff and female patients of a Basic Health Unit supported by the National Health Support Programme. While in Sindh, Bjerde exchanged with Chief Minister Shah and members of his Cabinet on ongoing and planned projects to support the development of the province. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Reforms key to recovery, poverty reduction: WB
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's path to sustainable economic recovery and poverty alleviation rests on comprehensive reforms that prioritise human capital, macroeconomic stability, climate resilience, sustainable energy, and private sector growth. This was stated by the World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde, at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Pakistan. She commended the authorities for the reform momentum and stressed the need for continuity in implementation to sustain economic stability and to elicit a stronger investment and growth response by the private sector. Pakistan's economic turnaround wins global recognition: World Bank Anna Bjerde met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed her appreciation for the collaboration on the new 10-year World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework with Pakistan. They also discussed the need for coordinated reforms at the federal and provincial levels to ensure sustained and inclusive growth. The World Bank official said, 'during my visit, we discussed the next steps on the reform agenda of the government, especially in the fiscal, digital, and energy sectors, as well as the potential of the country in terms of private-led growth and entrepreneurship, particularly to create quality jobs for women and youth.' She also met the Minister of Economic Affairs and Governor of the World Bank Group, Ahad Khan Cheema; the Minister of Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb; the Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal; the Minister of Energy (Power Division), Sardar Awais Laghari; the Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah; the Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme, Rubina Khalid; the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Rashid Mahmood Langrial; as well as members of the National Assembly, the Senate, women leaders and other senior government representatives. The discussions focused on implementing the Country Partnership Framework to help address the most critical socio-economic challenges of the country, in terms of human capital development, particularly for women and girls, access to water and sanitation, climate resilience, and natural disaster risk reduction, and the foundations of private-led growth and job creation. Bjerde had the opportunity to visit the World Bank-supported project sites in Shaheed Benazirabad District in Sindh, where she was accompanied by Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, and Sindh Minister of Health, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho. She and the World Bank delegation were hosted by First Lady of Pakistan and member of National Assembly, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. The visit included meetings with beneficiaries and staff of the 2022 Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project, as well as an exchange with the medical staff and female patients of a Basic Health Unit supported by the National Health Support Programme. While in Sindh, Bjerde exchanged with Chief Minister Shah and members of his Cabinet on ongoing and planned projects to support the development of the province. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
25-04-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
WB's mission reviews progress of NHSP
LAHORE: In a move aimed at strengthening primary healthcare in Punjab, the World Bank's Implementation Support Mission for the National Health Support Programme (NHSP) Punjab convened a special session to assess ongoing progress, reaffirm strategic priorities, and finalize the Programme's Restructuring Paper. The World Bank (WB) mission is focused on accelerating reforms to improve access, equity, and the overall quality of healthcare services across the province. The meeting, chaired by Dr Jahanzeb Hussain Labar, Additional Secretary (Vertical Programs)/Project Director NHSP, brought together the representatives of NHSP and aligned programme and WB experts to review progress on Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs 1–11), assess environmental and social safeguards including the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) evaluate procurement and financial performance, and chart the next steps for NHSP's restructuring. While presiding over the session, the PD NHSP informed the WB Mission that essential inputs for establishing Level-I Newborn Nursery Care units at 44 RHCs -one in each district - have been formally notified. These units will be operational in the ongoing year. The initiative aims to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality by providing timely care in rural and unprivileged areas. An integrated Referral Management System has been developed to connect Primary Healthcare (PHC) facilities with higher-level health institutions. Additionally, a feedback mechanism for Emergency Medical Records (EMR) will soon be implemented across Punjab to strengthen continuity of care. Dr Jahanzeb also provided a detailed briefing on the establishment of integrated TB screening clinics at Rural Health Centers (RHCs), aimed at enhancing early detection and improving access to diagnostic services. These clinics offering sputum microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF testing, chest X-rays, and clinical evaluations are expected to help detect an estimated 56,000 additional TB cases annually, significantly contributing to the province's TB control efforts. The PD NHSP highlighted initiatives to boost immunization coverage, strengthen the Health Information System, and roll out the Community Health Inspector (CHI) model to improve outreach in underserved areas. He also shared progress on the Learning Management System (LMS) to provide standardized training for healthcare providers and managers across Punjab. The Implementation Support Mission was led by Manav Bhattarai, Task Team Leader and Senior Health Specialist from the WB. The mission comprised technical experts and representatives from the global lender and the Global Financing Facility (GFF), including specialists in health systems, finance, procurement, environment, and social development. The PMU-NHSP entire team including DPD, Dr Fawad Ahmed Iftikhar, OBB, Umaid Faisal, FMS, Khalil-ur-Rehman, Communication Specialist, Karamat Ali and other were present on the occasion. The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement between the WB team and NHSP leadership on the proposed restructuring of the programme to enhance its performance and impact at the primary healthcare level across Punjab. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
