Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health - South & Central Asia

16/04/2026

Newborn Care and Follow-up Visits, Dr. Shabina Ariff, Paediatric Consultant (Newborn Specialist)

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14/04/2026

14/04/2026

At CoE-WCH, we undertake important research work that targets urgent health issues faced in our country. Our goal is to strengthen policies that address disparities in maternal and reproductive healthcare, ensuring that the most marginalized populations receive high-quality, affordable care.
Here's an overview of how we have contributed to policy change in Pakistan in recent years.
Aga Khan University AKU Medical College, Pakistan

12/04/2026

The Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University held a strategic engagement with Michael Galway, Deputy Director, Polio at the Gates Foundation.

During the meeting, CoE-WCH team presented its regional portfolio spanning Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, highlighting evidence-based work in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, immunization, nutrition, and climate resilience.

The briefing also outlined the Centre’s growing footprint in Pakistan, including evidence generation through clinical trials, program evaluations, and implementation research across Punjab, South KP, and Balochistan, alongside its strategic roadmap through 2030.

CoE-WCH team acknowledged the continued trust and collaboration of the Gates Foundation and reaffirmed its commitment to advancing polio eradication efforts and strengthening routine immunization systems.

Aga Khan University

10/04/2026

Dr Shabina Ariff presented the Kangaroo Mother Care project at Research Townhall 2026!
The study was a community-based trial conducted in the Dadu district to assess the impact of a simple, cost-effective household-level newborn intervention on neonatal mortality, delivered by Lady Health Workers. It was a novel trial as the intervention has not been tested in community settings before.
It turned to be a successful model that showed high compliance with the intervention and impact on newborn mortality. We saw decreased rates of mortality, higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding, and lower rates of bacterial infection. For us, the important thing is to incorporate this practice at community level so that mothers do not have to stay at an institute during the recovery period of the baby. KMC is a practice that can be done at home, by family members, without having to travel long distances.
We are also proud of the fact that many fathers stepped up to learn the skin-to-skin contact with babies to help the mothers. By now, we have 86 mothers and 33 fathers who are KMC champions!
At Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health (South & Central Asia), our next step is to incorporate KMC in the health system and scale up to achieve better neonatal mortality.

09/04/2026

In February, Dr Sajid Soofi and Dr Shabina Ariff were in Lisbon to reflect on the achievements and lessons learned from the Foundations for Health and Empowerment (F4HE) project, the first of its kind, bringing together colleagues from Aga Khan Development Network, Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme - AKRSP Pakistan, Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan, and Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health (South & Central Asia) from Aga Khan University.

Regional teams highlighted cross-country and cross-thematic achievements, while data and evidence-driven discussions created space to celebrate successes and critically examine challenges.

F4HE is a five-year initiative (2020–2025) focused on improving the health and wellbeing of women, girls, their families, and communities across six countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. The project advances work in:
• Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH)
• Adolescent Health
• Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH)
• Early Childhood Development (ECD)
• Mental Health in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Chitral region

It was wonderful to connect with faculty, researchers, healthcare providers, policymakers, and public health leaders to exchange knowledge and strengthen partnerships for sustainable, high-impact health interventions.

Dr Shabina presented the Impact of Newborn Interventions implemented across Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral, while Prof Dr Sajid Soofi highlighted the success of the program. Dr Aminha Jahangir from Aga Khan Foundation Canada shared reflections on women’s health, particularly cervical and breast cancer initiatives.

08/04/2026

07/04/2026

06/04/2026

Two-day Lady Health Workers (LHW) trainings were conducted from 25th to 31st April 2026 under the IGNIT3 project, during which a total of 159 Lady Health Workers (LHWs) were trained across 7 batches through Lady Health Supervisor (LHS) master trainer under the supervision of AKU team at district Matiari and Sanghar.
The training focused on enhanced nutrition counselling, covering key areas including Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), IYCF-related hygiene, adolescent nutrition, maternal nutrition, and heat adaptation strategies.
The sessions aimed to strengthen the capacity of LHWs to deliver effective, context-specific counselling at the community level, addressing both nutritional needs and climate-related challenges.

03/04/2026

Amjad Ali, Master Trainer and Field Monitor with DFCA, shares his journey with CoE Women & Child Health at Aga Khan University and his commitment towards TPVICS R-3 implementation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

.pk

03/04/2026

Publication Alert!
Our latest publication highlights a critical nutrition challenge among women of reproductive age in Pakistan.

Authors: Junaid Iqbal, Kehkashan Begum, Rabia Zuberi, Muhammad Sajid, Sidrah Nausheen, Imran A. Chauhadry, Sajid Bashir Soofi, and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta.

Access the paper here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/7/1128 (Link in bio)