Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan and Japan on Tuesday inked multi-million dollars Grant-in-Aid Project deals to improve health facilities and flood control system in Pakistan.
A signing ceremony for the Grant Agreement, Exchange of Notes and Record of Discussion between the two countries regarding Japanese grant-in-aid project titled as, “Improvement of Maternal and Child Health Equipment in Flood-affected and Surrounding Areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” was arranged in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Takano Shuichi, Charge d’Affaires ad Interim of Japan to Pakistan, signed the deal.
Japan has approved grant amounting to $9.91 million aimed to strengthen the diagnostic and treatment facilities in the flood-hit area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The grant will help to improve the regional referral system through provision of medical equipment necessary to ensure maternal and child health as well as medical facilities for high-risk pregnant women and newborns.
Japan will also provide $18.67 million for the Project for Flood Management Enhancement in the Indus Basin under Grant in Aid assistance.
Under Health grant aid, the project will procure and install necessary medical equipment in twenty one health facilities of Hazara Division to improve maternal and child health services by reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the province, especially in the Hazara division.
By 2029, the project’s expected results include increased institutional deliveries, ultrasound examinations and caesarean sections that will significantly contribute to the reduction in maternal fatalities and improving health outcomes.
These improvements will boost care quality, increase patient trust in the healthcare system, and ensure adequate access to high-
quality health services for all in Hazara.
The project is set to make amajor impact on health outcomes in KP, particularly in Hazara Division.
Under Disaster Management, the project will install forty five hydrological and hydraulic observation network in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab and rehabilitate the river structures in KP.
The goal is to reduce the Pakistan’s economic loss by improving the quality and quantity of fundamental data required for future river management and enhancing the strength of river structures against floods in the Indus River and its tributaries.
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Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz said that the Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema is thankful to the Japanese government for this major project and is also determined to improve the mother and child healthcare in flood-hot and surrounding areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Moreover, Dr. Kazim Niaz, commended the Government and people of Japan for their significant support with the assurance of extending all required facilitation to ensure successful implementation of the project and for more meaningful cooperation between the two countries.
Takano Shuichi assured Japan’s commitment to work closely with Pakistan to further strengthen the friendly relations and bilateral cooperation.
