NGOs are not making specific efforts for health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan, and yet there exists great potential in NGOs that can be harnessed to promote SDGs through putting in more concentrated efforts, writes Rabia Tabassum

Tabassum, Rabia

LSE Research Online

The	readiness	of	NGOs	for	health-related	SDGs	inPakistanNGOs	are	not	making	specific	efforts	for	health-related	Sustainable	Development	Goals	(SDGs)	inPakistan,	and	yet	there	exists	great	potential	in	NGOs	that	can	be	harnessed	to	promote	SDGs	throughputting	in	more	concentrated	efforts,	writes	Rabia	Tabassum.	According	to	a	World	Bank	report,	non-government	organisations	(NGOs)	can	be	defined	as	“privateorganisations	that	pursue	activities	to	relieve	suffering,	promote	the	interests	of	the	poor,	protect	theenvironment,	provide	basic	social	services	or	undertake	community	development”.	In	Pakistan,	a	number	of	NGOsare	working	in	the	form	of	trusts,	societies,	unions,	and	social	welfare	organisations	with	deep	penetration	in	far-flungareas	across	Pakistan.	Hence	NGOs	are	one	of	the	important	stakeholders,	having	the	advantage	of	working	closelywith	the	community	and	contributing	in	social	development	through	service	provision,	building	capacity	and	raisingawareness	among	masses	on	different	health	issues.	Indeed,	the	role	that	NGOs	play	as	part	of	the	nationalhealthcare	structure	of	Pakistan	can	be	seen	in	figure	given	below	(the	figure	has	been	taken	from	Health	SystemProfile	by	the	World	Health	Organisation).Figure	1:	National	Health	System	of	PakistanSource:	Health	System	Profile	of	Pakistan	2007,	World	Health	OrganisationThe	existence	of	various	registration	laws	for	NGOs	and	the	absence	of	a	centralised	registration	system	make	itdifficult	to	assess	the	actual	number	of	NGOs	in	Pakistan	(DAWN	2016).	According	to	Social	Policy	andDevelopment	Centre	(SPDC)	2002,	2,700	NGOs	are	working	on	health	out	of	total	45,000	NGOs	in	Pakistan.	NGOsare	actively	engaged	with	government	through	public-private	partnerships	in	service	delivery	of	healthcare	at	federaland	provincial	level.	The	People’s	Primary	Healthcare	Initiative	(PPHI)	is	one	of	the	examples	of	NGOs’	engagementwith	the	government	under	which	Basic	Health	Units	(BHUs)	that	are	being	managed	by	the	NGOs	(rural	supportprograms	in	respective	provinces).	Another	example	of	the	NGO’s	engagement	with	government	is	the	LeprosyControl	Program	that	is	a	partnership	between	government	and	Marie-Adelaide	Leprosy	Centre.In	order	to	explore	the	readiness	of	NGOs	in	Pakistan	for	sustainable	development	goals	(SDGs),	the	SustainableDevelopment	Policy	Institute	(SDPI),	interviewed	3	NGOs	and	carried	out	a	quantitative	survey	with	responses	from9	NGOs.	According	to	the	results	of	the	survey	and	interviews,	a	few	organisations	are	involved	in	SDGs	process	ata	national	level.	The	majority	of	NGOs	responded	that	they	are	working	on	SDGs	but	they	couldn’t	link	it	properlywith	the	targets	of	SDGs.	This	implies	that	there	exists	a	knowledge	gap	among	NGOs	regarding	SDGs.	The	samesituation	prevails	among	some	NGOs	in	having	knowledge	about	a	multi-sectoral	approach.	This	also	results	innegligence	in	working	on	social	determinants	of	health	and	makes	the	efforts	less	effective	(Shaikh	2008).	Thereforethe	component	of	the	multi-sectoral	approach	should	be	included	in	the	awareness	raising	campaigns	on	SDGs.South Asia @ LSE: The readiness of NGOs for health-related SDGs in Pakistan Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-05Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/02/05/the-readiness-of-ngos-for-health-related-sdgs-in-pakistan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/According	to	the	survey,	out	of	9	NGOs,	8	are	working	on	service	delivery	of	health,	and	data	collection	&	datamanagement;	7	NGOs	are	working	on	awareness	raising	and	advocacy,	and	the	rest	of	the	activities	are	given	infigure	no.2.	Thus,	NGOs	can	play	a	potential	role	in	implementation	(service	delivery	of	health),	and	buildingconsortiums	in	context	of	SDGs.	Moreover,	they	can	contribute	in	mass	mobilisation	and	in	advocacy	campaigns	forbringing	about	meaningful	change	by	acting	as	a	pressure	group	to	ensure	the	implementation	of	SDGs	in	Pakistan.Figure	2:	Type	of	Activities	of	NGOs	in	PakistanSource:	Authors’	own	calculations	from	the	survey	conducted	by	SDPIThe	survey	and	interviews	with	NGOs	highlighted	some	challenges	that	are	being	faced	by	the	NGOs	in	order	toaccomplish	the	organisational	targets.	Some	common	and	major	issues	include:Lack	of	financial	resources	to	fulfil	the	requirements	of	organisationsLack	of	human	resourcesLack	of	capacities	to	work	on	newly	set	targets	of	SDGsCultural	barriers	especially	in	case	of	treatment	of	some	diseases	which	are	associated	with	stigma	such	asmental	illness.	Patients	with	mental	illness	don’t	seek	treatment	due	to	the	social	stigma	associated	with	itLack	of	acceptance	of	NGOs	by	general	public	that	results	in	lack	of	coordination	between	public	and	NGOsSome	NGOs	which	are	involved	in	policy	advocacy	find	it	difficult	to	lobby	in	order	to	address	loopholes	inexisting	laws.Lack	of	networking	and	partnership	opportunitiesLack	of	government	support	for	NGOsHence,	through	fulfilling	their	resource	requirements	and	building	their	capacities	in	terms	of	implementation	andadvocacy	for	SDGs,	their	potential	in	terms	of	SDGs	can	be	harnessed.Another	important	aspect	in	terms	of	strengthening	the	role	of	NGOs	in	SDGs	is	the	formation	of	thematic	networks.This	requires	an	extensive	mapping	exercise	to	identify	the	NGOs	working	on	particular	thematic	areas	in	order	toensure	their	engagement	and	collaboration	with	each	other.	The	networks	would	provide	platforms	to	the	memberorganizations	where	they	can	discuss	the	ways	in	which	they	can	work	together	for	the	common	and	shared	agendaas	well	as	how	they	can	collaborate	to	solve	the	issues	and	challenges.	Hence,	networking	would	be	an	effective	toolthat	will	enable	NGOs	to	play	their	role	in	an	enhanced	manner.Lack	of	communication,	resource	constraints	and	absence	of	a	common	agenda	are	the	basic	hindrances	reportedby	the	respondent	organizations	for	meaningful	engagement	with	other	organizations.	Therefore,	resource	allocationspecifically	for	networking	and	engagement	activities	are	required	in	order	to	address	the	aforementioned	challengesin	building	effective	partnerships/engagements.	In	addition	to	that,	frequency	of	engagement	activities	with	thestakeholders	must	be	increased	to	reduce	the	communication	gap	and	enhance	the	level	of	understanding	amongstakeholders.South Asia @ LSE: The readiness of NGOs for health-related SDGs in Pakistan Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-05Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/02/05/the-readiness-of-ngos-for-health-related-sdgs-in-pakistan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/NGOs’	representation	in	policy	formulation	is	another	potential	role	of	NGOs	as	they	are	involve	in	service	deliveryand	can	provide	the	solutions	to	many	of	the	problems	based	on	their	experience.	Moreover,	NGOs	can	also	be	partof	monitoring	activities	for	SDGs	and	make	the	government	accountable	for	not	performing	well	at	the	communitylevel.NGOs	are	not	making	specific	efforts	for	health-related	SDGs	in	Pakistan,	and	yet	there	exists	great	potential	inNGOs	that	can	be	harnessed	to	promote	SDGs	through	putting	in	more	concentrated	efforts.		Special	attentions	arerequired	in	terms	of	awareness	raising	regarding	health-related	SDGs,	resource	facilitation,	more	networkingopportunities	and	the	involvement	of	NGOs	by	the	government	in	policy	formulation.Cover	image:	An	aid	worker	gives	preventative	medical	supplies	to	a	family	as	part	of	relief	efforts	in	Pakistan.	Imagesource:	US	Federal	Government,	Public	Domain.This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	authors,	and	not	the	position	of	the	South	Asia	@	LSE	blog,	nor	of	the	LondonSchool	of	Economics.	Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	posting.About	the	AuthorRabia	Tabassum	is	a	Project	Associate	at	Sustainable	Development	Policy	Institute	(SDPI)	and	hasexposure	of	working	on	various	research	and	development	projects	from	the	platform	of	SDPI,	Ministryof	Finance	and	Planning	Commission	of	Pakistan.	She	tweets	@tabassum_rabia	South Asia @ LSE: The readiness of NGOs for health-related SDGs in Pakistan Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-02-05Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/02/05/the-readiness-of-ngos-for-health-related-sdgs-in-pakistan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/

The readiness of NGOs for health-related SDGs in Pakistan

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The readiness of NGOs for health-related SDGs in Pakistan

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