Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal chaired a high-level meeting to review Pakistan’s rapidly rising population and the measures in place to address population growth. Senior officials, including the Secretary Health, Special Secretary and the Director General Population, joined the session to assess current interventions and plan next steps.
Officials noted that Pakistan is adding roughly 6.1 million people to its population each year, a pace the minister described as alarming. Participants evaluated existing programmes and discussed targeted strategies to slow the population growth rate while safeguarding health outcomes for mothers and children.
The minister stressed that uncontrolled population growth is placing immense pressure on health services and undermining the ability of national health and development programmes to meet their goals. He urged development of practical, actionable and evidence-based interventions to address demographic pressures and protect service delivery across the country.
Directives from the meeting included ensuring the availability, effectiveness and affordability of contraceptives, and formulating a comprehensive plan to strengthen the role of Lady Health Workers at the community level. Mustafa Kamal called for integrated, coordinated efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes and to expand family planning services, especially in underserved and vulnerable areas.
The minister also directed relevant departments to prioritise concrete steps that guarantee access to maternal and child health and family planning services nationwide. He underlined that close coordination between federal and provincial governments will be essential to achieve sustainable development and to respond effectively to the challenges posed by population growth.
