ISLAMABAD: The United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has donated $7.5 million worth of medical oxygen supplies to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination.
The support will also provide training to 163 hospitals throughout Pakistan to increase their capability to treat patients suffering from severe COVID-19 and other lung conditions, said a US Embassy press release on Wednesday.
This US government support was received by Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel in a ceremony here at the Ministry of National Health Services.
Abdul Qadir Patel, in his remarks, said, “We are thankful to the US government for their continued support during COVID-19 and especially during the recent floods.” The efforts reflected the strong bilateral relations between the two countries, he added.
Addressing the ceremony, US Ambassador Donald Blome said, “Today’s donation is not just about COVID-19. It is an investment in Pakistan’s long-term health system. This assistance ¬– that started at the very outset of COVID, continued throughout the pandemic, and is now addressing the lasting effects of the floods on health – is a prime example of the long history of US assistance to Pakistan.
“The United States was there at the beginning, and we will continue to find ways to support Pakistan as it recovers and rebuilds from disasters – whether that is a global pandemic like COVID-19 or a flooding disaster like Pakistan has just experienced.”
The US government donation, he added, provided thousands of essential supplies and equipment for oxygen therapy that the Ministry of Health had requested.
The US government would also develop a web-based information system that would allow real-time surveillance of patient oxygen levels, as well as strengthen Pakistan’s medical oxygen systems, while the technical assistance provided would train public-sector staff working at intensive-care units on how to effectively use the equipment, he maintained.
