Islamabad, July 11, 2011 - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) representatives joined Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on World Population Day to launch a system that will improve the availability of contraceptives in the public health system.

The initiative is part of the U.S. Government's support to the Government of Pakistan efforts to improve birth spacing services in the country.

The USAID-supported Logistics Management Information System is Pakistan's first web-based system designed to help health care officials track and thereby improve the supply of contraceptives in the public health system.

The system will be used by population and health departments at the federal, provincial, and district levels, in line with the devolution of health services under the 18th Amendment to the Pakistani constitution. Currently, the Government of Pakistan uses a paper-based system with a two-month lag in reporting, which impedes the ability of the health departments to respond to the needs of the health facilities.

The system will also track data on the supplies provided primarily by USAID, as well as those available in the private sector and distributed by non-governmental organizations. Such close tracking of supplies will help health officials ensure that health facilities are able to provide contraceptives to all families interested in using them for the healthy spacing of births. "I would like to declare it mandatory, whether in the public or private sector, that birth spacing services become available throughout the country through all levels of health facilities free of cost or at nominal price," said Prime Minister Gilani during the launch of the system.

Additionally, USAID helped design the Contraceptive Procurement Manual that presents best practices in international procurement and promotes transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the procurement process.

Pakistan has a population of 170 million people, making it the sixth largest country in the world. The population is expected to double in the next 34 years. Stabilizing Pakistan's population growth rate is key to helping the country to meet the health, education, employment, and other socioeconomic needs of its citizens.