WHO to provide 2.5m doses of anti-malaria vaccine to Balochistan

QUETTA:

World Health Organization (WHO) would provide 2.5 million doses of anti-malaria vaccine to Balochistan next week.

This was revealed by the Parliamentary Secretary of Science and Information Technology (IT), Law and Parliamentary Affairs Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi.

She said that 2.5 million anti-malaria doses donated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for flood-hit areas will be received next week.

“There is an alarming surge in the cases of malaria in Balochistan mainly in the flood-hit areas,” she said during a meeting with World Health Organization Balochistan chief Dr Asfandyar Shirani here at her office.

Cases of malaria are rampant in flood hit areas of Balochistan.

“Around 60 per cent population of Naseerabad division suffers from malaria currently,” Syed Ehsan Shah, the Balochistan Health Minister, said.

While lauding the WHO’s role in Balochistan, Dr Rubaba said that the support of the WHO in the flood-ravaged areas of Balochistan was of significant importance.

Poor health conditions compound the problems of flood-hit people of Balochistan, although the provincial government has declared an emergency to tackle the situation.

On reports of non-availability of malaria drugs from most areas of flood-affected districts, the WHO has expressed its determination to supply medicines for the treatment of malaria according to the needs.

“The head of the World Health Organization in Pakistan, Dr Palitha Mahipla, will take drugs to the affected areas with him by next week,” the WHO Balochistan chief said.

In addition to this, it was decided in the meeting that on behalf of WHO, the services of gynecologists and anesthesiologists for the medical facilities related to mother and child will be provided to the health department at Dera Murad Jamali hospital for six months