Pakistan sends medical team to Afghanistan

Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) has sent a medical team to Afghanistan in order to assist the process of renovation of three hospitals as part of the humanitarian assistance to the war-stricken country.

The medical team, comprising of engineers and technicians, has thus far wrapped up construction work on the three Pakistan-funded hospitals at Jalalabad, Logar and Kabul.

These details were shared during the meeting of the Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) held today, which was attended by representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs, interior ministry, National Health Services and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

However, the meeting was informed that the work on the installation and commissioning of medical equipment worth Rs2 billion is still underway.

For the operationalization of medical equipment, a team of four Pakistani engineers along with technicians is working round the clock. This would help to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the neighbouring country.

Read More: How Afghanistan may affect Pakistan

The assistance is in addition to medical visa facilitation for patients at crossing points and the provision of emergency/life-saving medicines to Afghanistan.

Recently, in addition to medical visa facilitation for patients at the crossing points and the provision of emergency life-saving medicines to Afghanistan, Pakistan had announced the provision of medicines to the tune of Rs500 million at the earliest.

The initiative is part of the humanitarian assistance package announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Besides, joint polio eradication coordination under the Polio Immunization Programme assistance, Pakistan has also agreed to give training for capacity enhancement and institutional building of the Afghan healthcare system.

A delegation from the pharmaceutical industry will also visit Afghanistan for investment and to assist indigenous medicine production in Afghanistan.