ISLAMABAD, JUL 25 /DNA/ – Inauguration Ceremony for “The Project for the Extension of Maternal and Child Health Care Facility in Sindh” was held today at Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) at Jamshoro. Dignitaries included His Excellency Mr. Shuichi Akamatsu, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, Mr. Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister of Health, Government of Sindh, and Mr. Naoaki Miyata, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan Office.
A new maternal and child health center has opened at LUMHS, the regional hub hospital in Hyderabad, with a grant of about 4.1 billion yen. The center includes obstetrics and pediatrics departments, a labor room, obstetrics ward, neonatal and maternal-fetal intensive care units, a laboratory, and outpatient consultation rooms, along with medical equipment like incubators and ultrasound devices. This project will benefit around 3.5 million people living in Hyderabad and Jamshoro.
Ambassador Akamatsu said: “This facility will bring medical services closer to home and provides mothers and babies with the timely and quality healthcare they deserve. We strongly hope that this new center will be effectively utilized in a sustainable manner.
Mr. Miyata, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan Office said: “I am confident that this project at LUMHS will achieve its goal of reducing the mother and child mortality and better accessibility to quality health care services”.
With limited healthcare facilities for mothers and infants in Sindh, the number of health care facilities to treat mothers and babies with complications is limited in Sindh. This project aims to alleviate the pressure of tertiary hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, providing vital services to families across southern part of Sindh, and enchasing lifesaving opportunities.
The Government of Japan and JICA emphasize maternal and child health in their strategy for Pakistan and reaffirms their commitment to this cause.
