‘Over Rs3.6b collected in Covid emergency fund’

The Sindh finance department informed a meeting of the provincial Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF) on Monday that thus far over Rs3.68 billion have been collected for the CEF.

Heading the meeting, the provincial chief secretary, Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, said that the Sindh government had set up the CEF in March 2020. The funds raised were used to establish the Field Isolation Center and arranging Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), protective kits, ventilators and medicines, he said.

Shah further said that the chief minister will be informed of the details regarding the funds collected and subsequent expenditure through a summary. Separately, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Monday that he has written to the federal government and sought permission to purchase the coronavirus vaccine directly from China.

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Being the chief of a provincial government, the CM said he was not authorised to purchase anything directly from another country.

The CM was addressing the ceremony of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility. Earlier Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho had also put forth this request before the Centre, maintaining that the provincial government had completed its preparations.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2021.