QUETTA: The refurbishment of a maternal and child health facility in Quetta has been completed by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide quality health services to women and children.

A ceremony marking the occasion was held here on Wednesday with Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in the chair. The basic maternal and child healthcare unit, located in Union Council Qambrani on the outskirts of Quetta.

The UNHCR provided Rs11.5 million for the improvement of the reproductive healthcare unit, where about 40 per cent of the patients are Afghan refugees.

The UNHCR’s partner agency, the Islamic Helping Hands organisation, has implemented the project which included major renovation of the building and provision of essential clinical equipment along with furniture. The project is expected to benefit over 1,200 women and 2,000 children (under the age of two) each year by providing antenatal, natal and postnatal healthcare services.

Saleh Baloch appreciated the UNHCR for undertaking the initiative and upgrading the facility to enable it to provide around-the-clock healthcare services for the people of Qambrani. He thanked the UNHCR for their continued support to the government’s primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions where a significant number of Afghan patients were also treated.

The head of the UNHCR in Quetta, Dinesh Shrestha, said: “The UNHCR is pleased to extend assistance to local communities that have shown tremendous generosity to Afghan refugees.”

Upgrading maternal and child health facilities comes under the UNHCR’s Refugee Affected and Hosting Area (Raha) programme, which was initiated in 2009 to strengthen the government-run institutions.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2016