Mir Salam Jogezai:
Journalists, policymakers, and development experts gathered at the Quetta Press Club on Monday to carve out a stronger role for the media in tackling Balochistan’s pressing population and healthcare challenges.
The media workshop, organized in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), focused on evaluating the current milestones of the National Population Agenda and addressing the legislative bottlenecks surrounding family healthcare in the province.
Media’s Role in Sustainable Development
Presiding over the session, Quetta Press Club President Irfan Saeed highlighted that a country’s economic survival is deeply tethered to its public health metrics. He noted that sustainable development remains out of reach without actionable population policies and proactive media campaigns.
”Population dynamics, public health, and economic development do not exist in isolation,” Saeed stated. “They are profoundly interconnected. To hit our sustainable growth targets, we need both robust policy enforcement and a responsible press that keeps these critical issues in the public eye.”
UNFPA Balochistan Provincial Coordinator Sadia Atta echoed these sentiments, urging journalists to move beyond surface-level reporting. She emphasized that ethical, data-driven journalism is a powerful tool for dismantling healthcare taboos, correcting misinformation, and fostering healthier communities across Balochistan.
Unpacking the Reproductive Health Bill
A major focal point of the workshop was a deep-dive analysis of the Reproductive Health Bill, with participants evaluating its core provisions and discussing practical strategies for its enforcement.
The briefing highlighted several key pillars of the proposed legislation:
Accessible Healthcare: Expanding the reach of high-quality reproductive health and family planning services to remote areas.
Maternal Safety: Implementing targeted interventions to significantly lower maternal and child mortality rates.
Rights & Protection: Establishing legal safeguards to protect women and young girls from systemic violence, discrimination, and exploitation.
A Unified Path Forward
The seminar wrapped up with a collective pledge from the Balochistan Health Department, UNFPA, senior media editors, and local development partners to build a synchronized communication strategy.
Prominent media figures in attendance—including senior journalists Syed Ali Shah, Mir Salam Jogezai, and Bahram Lehri—committed to keeping population welfare at the forefront of the provincial news cycle, ensuring that reproductive rights and family healthcare remain top priorities for regional lawmakers
