Women And Reproductive Health Initiative (WARHI)

women and reproductive health initiative District Multan and Muzaffargarh, are among the areas where poverty incidences are extremely high and community development work by either government or development agencies did not get attention over the last 60 years or so. Less than half of people in both the districts are within a half hour distance from the nearest health facility. Two per cent of the population has a chronic cough and it does not vary between urban and rural areas. It is higher in older age groups (55-59 year-old 4 per cent; 60-69 year-old 5 per cent; 70+ year-old 7 per cent). The Child mortality rate is 111 per 1000 live birth in most parts of the Pun- jab, while in rural areas it is generally higher (126 per 1,000 live births), whereas it is 117/1000 live births in Multan.

Fertility levels in the districts range between 4.5-7.3 children per woman. Only 15 per cent women in Muzaffar- garh District are assisted deliveries by skilled personnel and four of five women are assisted by traditional birth attendants. Postnatal care in Muzaffargarh is 19 per cent and it is 25 percent in Multan District. Only 20 per cent ever-married rural women have heard of HIV which is 55 per cent in the cities.

Awaz cds is going to implement a project named as WARHI (women and reproductive health initiative) in district Mul- tan and Muzaffar garh.The aim of this project is to provide and improve family planning, post abortion care, capacity building and supply chain management Family planning is the voluntary planning and action taken by individuals to prevent, delay or achieve a pregnancy. Family planning services include counseling and education, preconception care and laboratory tests, and family planning methods. Family planning methods include abstinence, natural family planning and all FDapproved methods of contraception including hormonal contraception and contraceptive sup- plies such as condoms, diaphragms and intrauterine devic- es and ppiucd.The high unmet need for contraception lead to approximately 890,000 induced abortions every year in Pakistan. fairly recent study from Pakistan also revealed that around 40% of abortions are.performed by unskilled

workers in backstreet clinics. Considering these grave staitistics, it should not come as surprise that unwanted and repeated pregnancies, nutritional deficiency are the leading cause of abortions so WARHI will help in great deal to provide PAC services in mentioned areas. Despite country’s, inferior situation, there is no data available in Pakistan that unveils the much needed information pertaining to post- abortion care (PAC)and family planning use.

Objectives

Objective 1:
Increase the number of FP users, with a focus on long-acting methods

Objective 2:
Increase the percentage of post-partum women who use a method of family planning,with a focus on long-acting methods, especially IUDs

Objective 3:
To ensureall women who cometo the health facility with compli- cationsof abortion receivePAC

Objective 4:
Increase the use of family-planning among PAC clients, with a, focus on long-acting methods

Objective 5:

Build national capacity to train providers in FP and PAC

Objective 6:
Ensure all facilities have appropriate supplies, medicines and equipmentand establisha well-functioningsupplysystem

Objective 7:
Increasethe performance of individuals and facilities, including useof data for decision-making

Posted in SRHR.