Islamabad, 4 November 2022 (TDI): The Ministry of Economic Affairs has signed a $100 million financing agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The agreement is for the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Systems Strengthening Program.” Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs, signed the Financing Agreement on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.
While Yong Ye, Country Director of the Pakistan Resident Mission, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Asian Development Bank.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and ADB also signed an agreement to implement the programme in the province. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Minister of Economic Affairs, also attended the signing ceremony.
The results-based loan programme will assist in improving the delivery of healthcare services at secondary hospitals.
It will do so by updating facilities and equipment, ensuring that clinical protocols, standards, and guidelines are followed, and enhancing human resource planning and medicine supply chain management.
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Systems Strengthening Program
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Systems Strengthening Program aims to transform Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Secondary Healthcare (SHC) System. It will do so by upgrading the infrastructure of 33 existing SHC facilities.
Likewise, it will provide quality equipment, along with ensuring the posting and availability of medical, technical, and administrative staff and efficient outsourcing of certain services to the private sector.
Aside from that the program aims to introduce and enhance health management information systems including electronic medical records as well as introduce quality assurance regimes.
As per ADB documents, the proposed investment for ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Service Improvement Program’ will be financed by the programmatic policy-based loan (PBL).
It will support health sector reform in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as health care became a provincial subject following the devolution of health to the provinces as a result of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
