Balochistan govt approves programme to fight epidemics

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal on Monday approved the provincial health department’s three-year program to fight against epidemics in the province, directing authorities to submit PC1 for the program.

The meeting thoroughly reviewed the Health Response Program in order to uplift the provincial health sector and building its capacity to curtail Covid-19 and other diseases.

Briefing the meeting, Balochistan health secretary Dostain Jamaldini relayed that the programme will be launched this year and will last till June 2023.  “The estimated cost for the three year health program programme is Rs13.33 billion. It will be implemented with the Federation’s partnership and other donor agencies. Hence an institute of vaccine development would be established in Balochistan under the aforementioned programme,” he said.

Jamaldani added that Balochistan became the first province to unveil its police against epidemics including the novel coronavirus.

He further informed the meeting that the program would be effective in provision of quality health facilities during natural disasters, digitalising provincial, upgradation of government hospitals in Quetta and innovating vaccines to battle epidemics.

The meeting agreed to establish a new hospital in Balochistan for research and treatment of patients infected with epidemics.

“The health department has embarked an anti-body test of Covid-19 patients through plasma of a recovered patient,” Jamaldini said.

Addressing the meeting CM Kamal said the novel coronavirus had damaged the concept of globalization and drifted nations away from each other,

“All nations in the world are paying attention towards medical and vaccine research since the contagious virus gripped the entire world. Hence it is time we should upgrade our capacity towards medical research as well,” the chief minister added, stressing upon assistance of major private health sectors in order to uplift government hospitals.CM Kamal corroborated that after the virus outbreak, investment in health sector doubled in the world because it stirred the health structure. “Today a normal individual has become more sensitive toward health safety precautions,” he concluded, directing authorities to induct the three year health program in the next development budget.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2020.