A news conference was held in Islamabad on March 9, 2005 at the Serena Hotel to launch the Lancet series in Pakistan. The event was held in coordination with the national meeting on Maternal and Newborn Health, and was attended by a diverse crowd of more than 80 media, policymakers, agencies and professionals, as well as two provincial secretaries and other senior health staff. The Federal Minister, Mohammad Nasir Khan, presided, and announced the reconfiguration of the apex National Committee for Maternal Health as the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health. Other speakers included World Health Organization representative Dr. Khalif Bile, UNICEF Country representative Omar Abdi, Nabeela Ali, Saving Newborn Lives and Vinod Paul, advisor to the Indian Government on Maternal and Child Health. The News and The Nation, two major Pakistani dailies, covered the successful news conference.
