SEMINAR REPORT 

A one day seminar on “Social Protection Strategies and Health financing to safeguard Reproductive Health for the poor, Nov 17, 2011” was organized at Health Services Academy. This seminar, first of the series provided forum to identify and discuss visible and concrete pro-poor health strategies for poor. Audience were the Ministry of Finance/ EAD, Planning Commission, P&D, regulatory authorities, UN agencies, development partners, NGOs, academic and research institutes, provincial secretaries, provincial departments of health & population, HSA faculty, visiting faculty and students. 
The seminar spread over three technical sessions and one panel discussion allowed participants to get engaged in a dialogue focused on social protection strategies and healthcare financing options to safeguard access to reproductive health and family planning services for the poor. Speakers representing government organizations and departments, NGOs and development partners presented new initiatives and proposed strategies to safeguard poor. Any form of pro-poor mechanisms such as micro-health insurance, community based insurance, vouchers, conditional cash transfers, income support programs, rural support programs etc, were discussed followed by key recommendations to instigate most applicable social protection strategies for the women of reproductive age while incurring healthcare cost. The speakers and the panelists debated on gaps in various mechanisms of social safety nets followed by options and way forward in the wake of recent health reforms to foster social protection strategies. Comments were made on the level of commitment by the provincial bodies to put up recent developments of social safety nets in the wake of recent health reforms. 
This one day seminar tried to envision a road map of coping with the huge responsibility of providing equitable and quality health care to all. USAID, David & Lucile Packard Foundation and Marie Stopes Society sponsored the occasion. Details