The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday urged the provincial government to establish population welfare centres in each of the 1,600 union councils (UCs) across the province in response to the growing population rate.
During a meeting chaired by PAC Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the committee also proposed an amendment to the marriage certificate (nikahnama), recommending that it include a mandatory section for HIV/AIDS and thalassaemia testing of prospective spouses.
The committee emphasized that authorised nikahkhwans must verify these test results before officiating any marriage ceremonies.
Furthermore, the PAC instructed the health, population welfare, and local government departments to collaborate and create a unified system for enforcing these initiatives.
The meeting was attended by committee member Taha Ahmed and Population Welfare Secretary Hafeezullah Abbasi. The agenda included a review of audit reports for the population welfare department from 2018 to 2020.
Mr. Khuhro questioned the department’s existing approach to family planning in Sindh. Secretary Abbasi responded that the department currently runs 900 population centres across the province but faces significant challenges.
According to Abbasi, approximately 11,000 children are born daily in Sindh, yet around 40% of the province still lacks adequate coverage by lady health workers. Of the 18,000 currently employed, recruitment has been hampered by a shortage of matric-qualified female candidates, the minimum qualification required for the role.
To address the gap, the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) has introduced a plan to hire lady health workers on a contractual basis via a third-party firm.
