Donald Blome, the US ambassador to Pakistan, presented the 36 vehicles to improve health services, to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health minister, on Thursday and stated that the initiative would enhance the provision of primary and secondary health care as well as coronavirus detection and vaccination through better surveillance and monitoring.
“We [the US] have cooperated with Pakistan for 75 years. Through disease surveillance initiatives, our nation is aiding the host community in addressing their public health challenges and will keep doing so, the ambassador said during the vehicles-handing-over event here.
According to Mr. Blome, the US has contributed 62 million doses of the vaccine to Pakistan as well as technical help for an efficient response to COVID-19.
According to him, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has been afflicted by violence, is receiving priority in the US’s cooperation with Pakistan at the federal level.
Through a number of measures, “we [the US] are helping Pakistan to enhance maternal health and lower child mortality,” he stated.
The envoy said that 27,000 Pakistani doctors had received training from the US.
He said the USAID Integrated Health Systems Strengthening and Service Delivery activity was meant to improve public trust in the provincial government’s services, improve governance, enhance equitable delivery of basic services, including Covid-19 care and inoculation and strengthening health security.
400 healthcare professionals received training in managing critically ill Covid-19 patients in the ICU, according to Mr. Blome, who claimed that 3,000 healthcare professionals had received training on infection control and prevention.
He added that 16,000 female healthcare professionals received training in how to care for virus-infected patients at home.
The ambassador said that 500 members of the quick reaction teams had received training from the US mission in order to improve monitoring and surveillance and contain the Covid-19 epidemic.
Health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra termed the USAID’s support as crucial for strengthening the Integrated Disease Surveillance System in the province and counted the measures taken by the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s government for revamping the health system in the province.
