June 30, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 29: Britain has protested over what it calls misuse by the finance ministry of the £15 million assistance for procuring polio vaccine, according to sources in the British High Commission.

The issue is likely to affect another £280 million British aid Pakistan expects to get under the National Health Facility Part-II for the next three years.

British Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander, the sources claimed, would raise this issue with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, during a meeting with him here on Thursday.

Britain’s Department of International Development had provided the assistance in response to Pakistan’s request to international donors in February.

Pakistan had told donors that it had run out of funds for purchasing vaccines and the situation had become so grave that there was a serious threat of discontinuation of the polio campaign across the country.

The country needs 100 million doses a year to vaccinate 35 million children. This year, because of resource constraints, the government bought only 20 million doses and the health ministry had to turn to donors for the remaining 80 million doses.

Britain responded to the emergency request and provided the aid with conditions that it should be used only for polio vaccine procurement and the entire amount should be spent by June 30.

The Planning Commission directed the health ministry to purchase the vaccine and asked the finance ministry to release the amount to the health ministry.

After buying the vaccine, the health ministry approached the finance ministry, but it was told that the funds had been used for the ‘balance of budget’.

Shocked to learn that its assistance had been misused, the British Department for International Development wrote a letter to Finance Secretary Farrukh Qayyum, asking him to ensure that the amount was used for the intended purpose.

“The amount (£15 million) was transferred to the government of Pakistan in March 2008 on the understanding that these funds would be used in the FY 2007-08.

“The Ministry of Health has completed the vaccine procurement process and polio vaccine is now available for National Immunisation days. However, we are surprised that no funds have been released to the Ministry of Health for payment to the vaccine suppliers to date,” the letter said.

The letter further stated: “We are concerned that this delay in payment could impact negatively on future vaccine procurement, and that postponement of payment until July could reduce the funds available for vaccine purchase in the next financial year.”

The Economic Affairs Division, which coordinates all international funding, has also urged the finance ministry to promptly address the issue.

Pakistan’s fight against the crippling disease is already faltering primarily because of poor governance and lack of accountability and 15 polio cases have already been reported ahead of the peak transmission season during the later part of the year.

Some see Pakistan to be lagging behind even the war-torn Afghanistan that has reported fewer cases so far this year.