Islamabad, 7 July 2022 (TDI): The United States (US) has presented four mobile laboratories to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Ministry of Health of Pakistan.
The mobile laboratories will boost the capacity of Pakistan to diagnose Covid-19 as well as other contagious diseases, specifically in distant locales with limited access to testing facilities.
The U.S. government presented four mobile laboratories to the National Institute of Health, Ministry of Health to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to diagnose COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, especially in remote locations where access to testing may be limited pic.twitter.com/UpEwArZ4O0
— Ministry of National Health Services, Pakistan (@nhsrcofficial) July 7, 2022
The state-of-the-art facilities will serve to enhance the accurateness of diagnoses, and lower testing turnaround time, along with providing better protection to the healthcare workers.
Ambassador Donald Blome, the Ambassador of the US to Pakistan along with Abdul Qadir Patel, the Federal Health Minister attended the handover ceremony.
Officials from the Federal Ministry of Health of Pakistan were also present on the occasion. Ambassador Blome, while addressing Pakistani health officials and health workers, lauded their effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Likewise, the Ambassador also highlighted the successful vaccination campaigns of Pakistan to swiftly vaccinate its nationals. He also remarked on the success of the US-Pakistan collaboration in the field of health care.
The two partners are collaborating as part of the 75 years of bilateral relations between them. This latest donation sustains the partnership by furnishing Pakistan with new tools to tackle future threats efficiently and swiftly.
“These mobile laboratories will strengthen the diagnostic capacity of the provincial health departments,” the American Ambassador said.
He added, “They will enable the government to respond quickly and effectively in hard-to-reach remote areas during emergencies, or an outbreak and epidemic.”
The mobile laboratories have been provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). They were formally received by Pakistan’s Health Minister, Abdul Qadir Patel.
Minister Abdul Qadir Patel appreciated the support of the US government to improve health care services in Pakistan. Ever since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, USAID has aimed to save lives along with containing the outbreak in more than 120 countries.
USAID’s constant assistance includes emergency relief, supporting vaccine readiness and distribution, strengthening health systems, improving public health education, and protecting health care workers and facilities.
The US has so far provided about 61.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan. Aside from that, it has also provided approximately one million Covid-19 rapid diagnostic tests and essential health supplies as well as training to health workers.
These measures are part of the $9.2 million of in-kind support and nearly $70 million in direct support that the US government has contributed to assisting the people of Pakistan.
 presented four mobile laboratories to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Ministry of Health of... read more){kind=link}