The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) handed over 1,000 Oxygen Concentrators and related accessories worth USD 1.4 million to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), in Islamabad today.
The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, received the life-saving medical devices used for treating patients suffering from coronavirus infection, birth asphyxia, and complicated pneumonia, from the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Aida Girma.
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“The Delta variant has contributed to the current wave of COVID-19 in Pakistan and with a resultant inflow of hospitalized patients,” said APM Dr. Faisal Sultan. “UNICEF’s timely contribution will supplement the Ministry’s continuous efforts to augment the healthcare system and provide the best possible care to all patients. We value our partnership with UNICEF, which actively participates in various aspects of Pakistan’s pandemic response.”
The 1000 Oxygen Concentrators, which have been procured by UNICEF with funds provided by the Government of Canada’s global contributions Accelerator Supplies Financing Facility, will be distributed by the MoNHSR&C to 289 health facilities in four provinces and the federal areas of Islamabad.
“UNICEF commends the Government of Pakistan’s enduring efforts to fight the recurrent waves of coronavirus in the country and is determined to continue its support to national response, including through the procurement and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines or life-saving medical equipment, such as Oxygen Concentrators,” said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.
“With the fourth wave of COVID-19 and the new Delta variant causing yet another spike of infections across the country, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, we are campaigning hard for all men and women above 18 years of age, to get vaccinated while continuing to strictly adhere to precautionary measures, such as social distancing, wearing of facial mask, frequent hand-washing with soap to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Including the latest consignment, UNICEF has so far provided a total of 3,065 Oxygen Concentrators to the Government of Pakistan during the last twelve months. Earlier, UNICEF had provided 525 Oxygen concentrators from its funds, 220 from funds received from the Asian Development Bank, and 1320 from the World Bank’s Pandemic Emergency Funding.
To date, UNICEF has delivered over 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan on behalf of the COVAX facility, and another 11 million doses are in the pipeline expected to arrive by next month.
