PAKISTAN (Feb. 23, 2021) – Marie Stopes Society Pakistan has entered into a strategic collaboration with MicroEnsure (part of MIC Global) to introduce a new health care initiative under the Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK) programme funded by UK – Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Pakistan with the name of “Sehatyab Programme” for the women and their families living in low and middle-income communities of Karachi. Through this programme, services like general out-patient, family planning & maternal and child health services can be availed at a considerably low amount in addition to free health insurance for women and their families. The Development Director to the British High Commission in Pakistan Annabel Gerry said;
“The UK is committed to support Pakistan in increasing access to family planning services and healthcare facilities especially for the most vulnerable women. We’re proud to invest in the Sehatyab microinsurance programme which will directly improve the lives of 5000 families including women, children and men in Karachi, Sindh through the provision of quality maternal and child care health facilities.”
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Asma Balal Country Director, Marie Stopes Society Pakistan stated that:
“In Pakistan, maternal complications such as post-partum infection and hemorrhage account for over 50% of maternal mortalities. Additionally, financial barriers and lack of social security systems make poor women most vulnerable in terms of being able to access essential reproductive health services. The Sehatyab programme will improve the economic well-being of women and their families by reducing out-of-pocket health expenditures, as well as result in reduced maternal and neonatal mortality rates through increased provision of mother and child health and family planning services for improved treatment outcomes.”
Appreciating the partnership as another step towards the goal of reaching out to the tens of millions of uninsured and under-insured Pakistanis, Mr. Rehan Butt Vice President of MIC added that:
“We are very excited to work with Marie Stopes Society on this project. We have a track record of developing simplified insurance products and processes which help build faith for common men and women in insurance as an important risk management tool. Marie Stopes Society and MicroEnsure have a mission of serving the underserved communities in Pakistan and have a natural strategic fit for collaboration. We are confident that this partnership will go a long way in extending affordable financial protection to those who need it the most.”
Marie Stopes Society (MSS) is a Pakistan based local organization, registered under the Societies Act, 1860 since 1990. MSS Pakistan is one of the leading private sectors services providing organization with a focus on sexual and reproductive health services, especially family planning with a network of 26 Behtar Zindagi Centres, 03 maternal and child health clinics, 400+ social franchises network, 6 Meri Pharmacies, and 15 Roshni mobile units for outreach activities spanning over 30 districts in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces reaching out to the most strategic and rural districts in Pakistan. More information is available at www.mariestopespk.org and 0800-22333.
MicroEnsure Pakistan (Private) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of MicroEnsure Holdings, UK – part of the STP Group Holdings. The company is a licensed insurance broker by the SECP and a specialist provider of innovative mass market insurance solutions. The STP Group aims to provide insurance safety net to millions of micro & small businesses and to the 4 billion people on the planet that are currently un/under served. Insurance is a highly fragmented market fixated on complex products, cumbersome customer journeys and stymied systems that prevents the swift payment of claims. The STP Group has created the world’s first global end-to-end digital microinsurance solution that will combine reinsurance capacity, in-country insurance licenses, world class distribution and market leading AI functionality. For more information visit www.micglobal.com
