Norway will assist the Mother and Neonatal Child Health (MNCH) Programme in Pakistan s Sindh province under NorwayPakistan Partnership Initiative (NPPI) for Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, said an official statement. Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari presided over a high level meeting of stakeholders to review the draft proposal. Th proposal of $41 million Norwegian assistance for the period 2007-2011 is based on commitments made by the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Norway to implement a country partnership programme. The flexible funding will enable implementation of MNCH Programme and shall utilize innovative techniques using results based disbursements. Lashari said that neonatal and mother's health is one of the top priorities of Pakistan's National Health Policy. Through our MNCH Programme, he said, Pakistan would be able to reduce maternal and infant mortality and would ultimately achieve MDGs. Stakeholders should expedite their efforts to present final proposal for NPPI for MDG 4 & 5 by end October 2007, he emphasized.
