13th APHC

There are 37 million women (2020) in Southern Asia who give birth each year, but do not receive essential care. In most countries of this region, the health systems are weak along with poor quality of care. There is added disadvantage of having insufficient trained health workers, who are properly equipped to provide critical lifesaving care. The impact of weak health care systems is compounded by broader factors such as poverty, poor nutrition, poor sanitation and exposure to communicable diseases. A range of essential services is necessary to protect and enhance women’s health before, during and after pregnancy, and to give newborns a healthy start in life. Challenges of health system, equity and the high unmet need for family planning need urgent attention to accelerate the progress in the next decade. With just eight years left to achieve the 2030 targets, this research conference endeavors to review the past progress and identify the key areas for future action. It is the need of the time to synthesize existing information to understand the gaps in the health system and highlight the weaknesses in the management, monitoring and evaluation systems. The conference will focus on promoting and strengthening the fields of research, training, advocacy, policy and practice to contribute towards the attainment of universal access to SRHR in Pakistan and South Asia.