WHO pledges £2.67m for Pakistan to combat coronavirus

WHO pledges £2.67m for Pakistan to combat coronavirus

Islamabad (Agencies): The World Health Organisation (WHO) will provide £2.67 million (approximately $3.29 million) fund to Pakistan to fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala said, “This funding package will be used in 27 districts across all provinces in the country. The WHO has been working closely with the government of Pakistan to prepare and respond to the growing threat of Covid-19.”

He thanked United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) for the generous support saying it would go a long way to strengthen the current response and save lives.

The fund will also help strengthen the country’s capacity to identify and diagnose cases of Covid-19, manage them through effective prevention and control measures, increase community participation in curbing the spread of the disease and enhance people’s access to reliable information so that they could learn how to protect themselves and others.

Earlier, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday night approved the disbursement of $1.386 billion to Pakistan under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to address the economic impact of the Covid-19 shock.