PESHAWAR, Nov 29: International aid agencies working under the cover of the UNO and some foreign donor agencies have agreed to extend grant-in-assistance to strengthen the NWFP health sector for meeting the increasing health services, specially after the arrival of a large number of Afghan refugees, official sources said here on Thursday.
Though the NWFP government had earlier moved the international aid agencies for extending assistance to its health sector over-burdened by the presence of over 1.8 million refugees in the province, the aid agencies have responded quickly in the post-Sept 11 situation when exodus of fresh Afghan refugees was being expected by the UNHCR and other similar organization.
The need for such help was felt much harder in the NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
The sources added that Bangladesh, through the UNHCR, would provide special reproductive health kits worth Rs 200 million for the Afghan refugees settled in the province.
In addition, the UNHCR would provide two tons of medicines to be distributed among the health facilities across the province.
Besides, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already provided seven emergency kits — with each sufficient to provide emergency medical aid to 10,000 people for a period of three months.
The world body is also in the process of providing three ambulances for the hospitals situated in the Fata. Similarly, the WHO would also provide an ultrasound and a blood transfusion machine for selective frontline health facilities in the Fata.
“Donor agencies have realised the need to meet the pressure on the health sector by the presence of Afghan refugees which is compounding by the new arrivals,” said Dr Jamil Bangash.
He said apart from the UN agencies, the DFID, a British agency, had committed to extend assistance not only for the refugee population, but its assistance would also cover the local population.
According to him, in the first phase the DFID would provide medicines and hospital equipment worth one million pound sterling by Jan 1, 2002 for which, he said, the provincial health department had identified the areas where the health sector required immediate attention in the NWFP and Fata.
Similarly, apart from extending assistance in kind and medicines, the provincial health department has also won commitments and agreements with donor agencies for the purpose of imparting training to health services staff in different areas for handling emergencies.
Besides, the Unicef and UNHCR have also showed their willingness to carry out surveys in different parts of the province for collecting data about certain diseases including measles. Recently, a number of cases of these diseases have been reported from various parts of the province.
Sources added that the donor agencies had conveyed that the assistance would not only cover the refugee population but the local communities would also be benefited in line with a recent accord reached at between the NWFP government and the donor agencies.
“Due share of grant being extended to the NWFP health sector would also go to the local communities,” the sources added.
