MANSEHRA, Oct 29: Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday urged the government to make sure presence of skilled birth attendant at every basic health unit (BHU) in the rural areas of the province.

`We have organised this seminar to create awareness among people about the importance of skilled birth attendants and their role in reducing the mother and child mortality rate in the country,` Sahibzada Javed Alfaizi, the managing director of Saibaan Development Organisation (SDO), told the seminar.

The seminar titled `Importance of mother and child health in Islam` was organised by SDO in collaboration with Oxfam, Germany under mother and motherhood through advocacy and awareness (Mamtaa) project at a local hotel.

The deputy district health officer, Dr Ghulab Hussain, Maulana Saeed Abdullah, Dr Perveen Saif, Qazi Saifur Rehman, Bilgees Fatima, Sajjad Ahmad, Mohammad Bashir and Nisar Swati also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Alfaizi said that the project was based on multi-pronged strategy and besides creating awareness among peopleregarding importance of health of mother and child, water and sanitation schemes would also be launched in the target areas.

`Our prime target is to bring the mother and infant mortality ratio down as because of different factors this rate is higher in Hazara and Mansehra as compared to other districts of the province, said Mr Alfaizi.

Dr Ghulab Hussain said that health department was striving to take to justice the clinics and medical stores being run by quacks and non-professional people.

`We have sealed many clinics being run by midwives and lady health visitors, who were posing themselves as gynecologists. Such clinics and untrained birth attendants are important causes of the high mother and child mortality rate in the district,` said Dr Ghulab.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Saeed Abdullah asked participants of the seminar to follow teachings of Islam instead of the so-called modernisation.

`Islam asks women to breastfeed their children for two years after their birth as it would not only give strength to the infants but would also save the mothersfrom breast cancer,` he said.

Maulana Saeed said that modern science proved that breast cancer was largely affecting those women, who didn`t breastfeed their infants.

Dr Perveen Saif said that mothers and pregnant women should be given balanced diet to keep them and their children healthy.

Speaking on the occasion Qazi Saifur Rehman said that government should be more vigilant about eatables being sold in the markets.

He said that the government should make sure presence of skilled birth attendant at every BHU in the province as a large number of women died during delivery because of unskilled handling by midwives in remote areas of Mansehra and other parts of the province.

`The government should take strict measures to check sale of substandard eatables, which can affect health of consumers, including mothers and children, said Mr Rehman.

Speaking on the occasion Mr Swati said that violence against women was one of the biggest causes of deteriorating situation of women health and abortions.