ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has dispatched a team of engineers and technicians to Afghanistan for early completion of three new hospitals to provide relief to the people of the war-torn neighbouring country.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the Afghanistan Inter-ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) on Tuesday.

According to an official press release, the meeting was apprised that buildings of the three hospitals — namely the Nishtar Hospital, Jalalabad; Jinnah Hospital, Kabul; and Logari Hospital, Logar — have been completed. However, installation and commissioning of medical equipment worth Rs 2 billion is still under way.

To bring the medical equipment in use, a team of four Pakistani engineers along with technicians was working round the clock. “This would help achieve Universal Health Coverage in our brotherly neighbouring country,” said the press release.

The initiative is part of a Rs5bn humanitarian assistance package for Afghanistan announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The AICC is a policy formulation and implementation forum established as part of the Economic Advisory Council under the finance adviser to support humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2022