The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), Pakistan in collaboration with Department of Health Punjab and the WHO country office with support provided by the WHO Headquarters and Regional Office conducted a 3-day Training of Trainers on Health System Response to GBV in Islamabad. The training was conducted under UN Joint Programme Partnership on Essential Services to respond GBV in Pakistan for the selected districts of Punjab.
The participants represented health care providers including medical doctors and medico-legal professionals from Tertiary care, and secondary care (DHQ and THQ) level hospitals of districts Lahore, Faisalabad, Muzaffargarh, Chakwal and Rawalpindi based on existing situation of caseloads. In order to integrate GBV health response skills in Reproductive and Sexual Health Interventions and training packages, the professionals and care providers including medical doctors, Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) and councilors from Family Health Hospitals of Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) also participated in the training from same districts. This participation criterion was established to roll out implementation of adapted clinical handbook and National Protocol on Health System Response to GBV survivors as public private partnership and collaboration with Civil Society organizations providing family planning and reproductive health services to survivors. Moreover WHO country office National and Provincial staff implementing MNCAH programme were also trained for integrative interventions.
The meeting aims to build capacity of health service providers and reproductive health/family planning providers to provide a multi-sectoral health response with an integrated system approach for the roll out implementation of adapted clinical handbook and National GBV health protocol.
The meeting was inaugurated by Dr. Sabeen Afzal from Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and WHO head of office Pakistan. Dr. Sabeen explained the process of development, adaptation and endorsement of National protocol and adapted clinical hand book to provide services to GBV survivors. She emphasized on Ministry’s full support for roll out implementation across the country. Dr. Muhammad Assai, WHO head of Office Pakistan underlined the role of health system in addressing GBV including response and prevention. He further emphasized on integrative health system approach where GBV response should be incorporated in other priority health programmes, including at the community level, and different training Packages. He committed to The training was concluded with district level facility based follow-up and refresher training plans by the participants for roll out of trainings and certificate distribution.
