ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Italy have signed an agreement to cooperate in the healthcare sector, under which funds worth Rs500 million will be spent to provide better healthcare facilities for women and children under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
Co-Director PIDSA Pakistan Islam Zaib, Co-Director PIDSA Italy Pietro Del Sette, and BISP Director General Naveed Akhtar signed the agreement program will provide improved health facilities for pregnant women, children, and lactating women in the selected districts of Balochistan, including Jhal Magsi, Lasbella, and Khuzdar.
The Nahsonuma Programme aims to prevent stunting in children under two years of age, improve weight gain of women during pregnancy, reduce anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, and improve awareness of maternal and early child health and nutrition.
Healthcare facilities for women and children
Around 16,000 children under two years of age will benefit from the program by receiving specialized nutritious food, immunization, and regular health checks for their mothers and children in the above flood-affected districts of Balochistan.
The program covers 156 districts of Pakistan through the World Food Programme and BISP. In addition, a loan worth 50 million Euros from the ECO Trade and Development Bank (TDB) has already been signed and disbursed.
An amount of 20 million Euros from German state-owned investment and development bank – KfW grant has also been approved for the same purpose. The financing instrument will be signed during the G2G meeting in Berlin in May this year.
Moreover, the French Development Agency (AFD) is also providing a grant worth 45 million Euros for addressing the issues related to the nutrition of the residents of tribal districts and four Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The agreement is expected to improve the healthcare facilities in Pakistan and provide a better quality of life to its citizens, especially the vulnerable population.
The initiative has been welcomed by health experts and advocates who have emphasized the importance of investing in healthcare, particularly during a pandemic when the healthcare sector is under immense pressure.
The government has been urged to continue investing in healthcare to improve the healthcare system and ensure better health outcomes for the citizens.
