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Local religious leaders are proving to be a crucial resource in the fight against infant and maternal mortality in Pakistan’s southern Sindh Province, where a new Health Ministry initiative is in progress.
“In the communities here, the word of a cleric carries more power than anyone else. Why not use their influence and clout for a healthy cause,” says Ahsan Akbar Dhani, district coordinator of the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care in Pakistan. Leaflets, distributed at local madrasahs (Islamic religious schools), urge Imams to incorporate messages stressing the importance of good hygiene, TT (Tetanus Toxoid) inoculations for mothers and immunizations for infants.
According to USAID, one in 23 Pakistani women dies in childbirth, compared to one in 5,000 women in developed countries, while in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 135 out of every 1,000 children under the age of five die from curable illnesses. By involving the religious leaders in the health awareness campaign, the Health Ministry hopes to counter misconceptions about vaccinations and even oral rehydration salts, which some people believe may cause impotence. The leaflets contain the footnote “May Allah always give us the strength to stay clean and protect ourselves and others from diseases as well as disseminate information with regards to health and hygiene, Amen.” By using both religious language and the mosque’s pulpit to spread public health messages, the Health Ministry has initiated an effectual method of creating better health outcomes in local communities.
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IRIN Asia reports on Imams involved in the Pakistan health initiative