ISLAMABAD: Due to lack of health facilities and illiteracy in Pakistan, 23,000 women died last year in complications related to pregnancy issues, Dr. Nabila Ali, the Chief of Party of PAIMAN, said here Thursday while addressing an advanced training for journalists on mother and newborn healthcare organized by Intermedia.

Dr. Nabila appreciated the role of midwives and initiatives taken by the government to lessen the risks to women's health. “We must appreciate our government's efforts as the midwives' program has helped in a way to reduce deaths of women in pregnancy,” she said.

Dr. Shehnaz Shahid, a public health expert, while addressing the participants, talked about challenges faced by reporters in the field of mother and newborn healthcare at the district level. In her presentation, she highlighted challenges faced by locals and role of media in mass awareness.

The objective of the event, which was conducted in collaboration with the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns Healthcare (PAIMAN), a project of USAID, is to train selected journalists from 12 districts of Pakistan at the advance level of reporting health issues with special reference to mothers and newborn healthcare. About 30 journalists are participating in this training from all over Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

The resource persons in the 3-day training will include senior health and MNCH experts and health reporting and media specialists, who will deliver lectures and presentations on the subject; techniques to cover health issues, knowledge and practical tools to collect and report health-related data; creating a demand for a health system that delivers high quality maternal and newborn health services, increasing awareness and promoting positive maternal and newborn health behaviors by reporting issues related to community involvement in maternal and child health services and service quality in public and private sectors.