Lawmakers on Wednesday agreed to increase funding for family planning programs to help Pakistan achieve a sustainable population growth rate.

During a meeting amongst legislators representing major political parties in a dialogue also agreed that funds were necessary to initiate subsidised and free services through voucher programs to improve access of poor and marginalised populations and harness the private health sector to enhance outreach of population programs.

The meeting was organized by the Population Center Pakistan with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and Population Council.