In order to cope up with any health emergency situation in Pakistan, the country office of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday donated over eight ambulances and 15 motorbikes to the Punjab government.
According to the WHO, the ambulances and motorbikes were handed over to the Punjab government by Country Representative Dr Palitha Mahipala at a ceremony which was attended by Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid.
A WHO statement said that Dr Mahipala handed over right ambulances and 15 motorbikes to Chief Minister Buzdar. He also presented a shield to Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid in recognition of her leadership and commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During his address, Dr Mahipala appreciated the dedication and hard work of the Punjab health team in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and assured them of continued WHO support to Pakistan. “COVID-19 pandemic has identified the shortcomings of our health systems and highlighted the need to eliminate disparities in health and health care. WHO is trying hard to introduce practical and scalable multi-level health-interventions to improve access to and quality of care to achieve health equity in Pakistan,” he added.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Buzdar expressed his gratitude to WHO Pakistan for donating the ambulances for points of entry, health facilities and managing critical cases of Covid-19. He thanked WHO for donating the motorbikes which will strengthen surveillance systems and sample transportation in the high-risk districts of Punjab.
