SWABI: Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme, Senator Rubina Khalid, on Wednesday inaugurated a Nutrition Stabilization Center at Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Swabi, established in collaboration with the World Health Organization, to strengthen maternal and child health services in the district.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Health Khaliq-ur-Rehman and WHO Representative Luo Dapeng, who termed the initiative a significant step toward improving nutrition outcomes for mothers and children.
After inaugurating the center, Senator Rubina Khalid was briefed by the medical staff about the facilities available at the Nutrition Stabilization Center. She also interacted with women receiving treatment at the medical complex.
Speaking to media representatives, the BISP chairperson thanked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for its cooperation in establishing the center, saying that strong coordination between federal and provincial institutions was essential for national development. She said BISP maintained effective working relationships with all provinces and would continue to strengthen these partnerships.
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She highlighted the importance of the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, describing it as a key initiative aimed at improving the health and nutrition of mothers and children. Under the programme, health and nutrition services are provided from birth until the age of two, a period considered critical for a child’s physical and mental development.
Senator Rubina Khalid said the Nutrition Stabilization Center had been established to ensure timely and quality nutritional and medical services for mothers and children. She added that essential health services, including child immunization and the provision of nutritional supplements, would also be available at the facility.
She further stated that, with the cooperation of the provincial government, similar Nutrition Stabilization Centers would soon be established in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The initiative, she said, is an ongoing project that will be expanded to other areas in phases.
The BISP chairperson also emphasized that an effective transparency mechanism was in place for the programme and said beneficiaries could lodge complaints through prescribed channels if needed.
