ISLAMABAD: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has committed $20 million to Pakistan in emergency funding to support health systems faced with climate change disasters.
Together with the new allocation, the total Global Fund emergency support to Pakistan in 2022 has reached $30m. Massive flooding in Pakistan has led to a severe hike in cases of malaria, says a press release of the Global Fund.
The Global Fund approved an initial $10m in emergency funding in September to ensure access and distribution of essential medicines and health services in Pakistan.
The emergency funds in Pakistan will be used to cover HIV, TB, and Malaria programme activities, such as providing sanitation kits, nutritional support for children and water purification/filters. It will also be used to renovate health facilities and replace destroyed equipment in laboratories.
“The needs in Pakistan are urgent and severe, so lifesaving funding cannot wait,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund.
“The floods have destroyed 10 per cent of Pakistan’s health facilities. In the three-month period between mid-June and September this year, 539,500 cases of malaria were reported, compared to fewer than 400,000 cases for the whole of 2021,” he said.
“The emergency funds in Pakistan and Somalia will be used to cover HIV, TB and malaria programme activities, such as providing sanitation kits, living support packages, nutritional support for children and water purification/filters. It will also be used to renovate health facilities and replace destroyed equipment in laboratories,” he said.
Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2022
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