Population task force to increase contraceptive use.

ISLAMABAD -- The first-ever meeting of a national task force on population control has decided to set up a population control fund to increase support for contraceptive use, particularly to reach poor and marginalised segments of the population. It also approved a national action plan on population control.

This was disclosed by the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza in a statement on Tuesday.

Dr Mirza said that the first meeting of the Federal Task Force on Alarming Population Growth in Pakistan had been presided over by President Dr Arif Alivi. The agenda of the meeting was to approve the National Action Plan on Population Control, discuss a national narrative as prepared on the direction of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) - per a decision taken in its meeting in November 2018 and set up the Pakistan Population Fund.

The special assistant recalled how the country showed a growth rate of 2.4 per cent per annum between 1998 and 2017, with the country's population jumping from 140 million to 207.8 million, making it the fifth most populous country in the world.

Dr Mirza warned that unless measures are taken, Pakistan stands to double the rate of its population growth over the next 30 years, twice as fast as the average period of 60 years for populations to double in other South Asian countries.

In this context, he said that the CCI had directed the health ministry to prepare an action plan with financial modalities for the operationalization of recommendations in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and submit it for the approval of the Federal Task Force.

The health ministry's action plan spells out the actions required with timeline, budget and the output and impact indicators of each requirement.

It also indicates the responsible body to execute the action plan and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of the particular action.

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