Governance Monitoring Press Releases

ISLAMABAD, August 31, 2010: Food commodities have registered a sharp increase in prices during August as compared to July 2010, perhaps due to Ramadan factor and current flood situation in the country.The consumers living in flood hit regions are suffering even more, according to FAFEN’s Monthly Retail Price Monitor released here Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD, July 30, 2010: Prices of most food items have registered an increase in July 2010 in most parts of the country, warranting a prompt government action to enforce price control mechanisms or ensuring steady supplies of items that are most used during the holy month of Ramadan set to begin in mid-August.

MULTAN, July 12, 2010: Tehsil and District Headquarters Hospitals are the backbone of state-run healthcare infrastructure, but the lack of doctors and nurses, patients’ dissatisfaction about the services and attitude of hospital staff, and poor infrastructure and sanitation at some hospitals warrant prompt government interventions to put this public sector healthcare system back on track, reports FAFEN’s Health Institution Monitor for the month of July 2010, released here on Monday.

ISLAMABAD, June 22, 2010: The prices of some frequently used vegetables (potato and garlic), pulses (Mung and Mash), basmati rice and few condiments (coriander, powdered salt, turmeric and red chilies) registered a relatively high increase in the month of June 2010 as compared to their prices in May 2010, according to FAFEN’s Retail Price Monitor, released here Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD, June 13, 2010: Despite government claims of having made significant improvements in mother and child health care to meet the country’s targets under the Millennium Development Goals, almost one-fifth of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centers monitored by FAFEN in the month of May 2010 do not have a maternity kit and a similar proportion does not have a labor room, reports FAFEN’s Health Institution Monitor for the month of June 2010 released here Sunday.

ISLAMABAD, June 9, 2010: Consumers, in various parts of the country faced relatively high increases in the prices of a few food items (such as potato, tomato, turmeric and green tea) in the month of May 2010, as compared to the previous month (April 2010). The prices of as many as 35 consumer commodities and services registered increase while as many as 33 consumer items were available on comparatively cheaper prices in May, according to FAFEN’s Retail Price Monitor, launched here Wednesday.

PESHAWAR, May 28, 2010: Lack of personnel and facilities to serve the primary health care needs of women is among the issues of greatest concern, reveals FAFEN’s inaugural Health Institution Monitor for April 2010 released in Peshawar on May 28, 2010.

LAHORE, May 26, 2010: More than one-third of lecturers posts are vacant in 106 boys colleges monitored nationwide during April 2010, says the FAFEN Education Institution Monitor released here Wednesday.

There is a link between fluctuation in the prices of daily-use food items and the level of good governance, nationally and locally. The task of recording variations in prices of daily-use items therefore should not be left alone to the government. The Pakistan Household Integrated Economic Survey is a government initiative and has attracted criticisms related to conflict of interest and credibility. For this reason, Free and Fair election Network (FAFEN) has launched a Household Expenditure Pattern study.