Mother, child primary health unit Japan extends Rs 9.0 million for construction

The Government of Japan has decided to extend financial support of $106,973 (approx. Rs 9.0 million) to the Shehri Ijtamai Taraqiati Council (SHATAC) for the construction of Mother and Child Primary Health Unit in Mandi Bahauddin in the province of the Punjab.
According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Japan, the agreement for the project was signed on Thursday, here at the Japanese Ambassador's residence. The agreement in this regard was inked by Hiroshi OE, the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Abdul Hameed Blund, President of SHATAC. The purpose of the project is to fill up the serious vacuum in terms of maternal and child health care facilities in the project area for free or reasonable rate.
By this project, most vulnerable segment of the society in Mandi Bahauddin and its surroundings will be able to afford the basic health services. This maternity home equipped with all necessary instruments is expected to improve about 50,000 maternal conditions right around the time of birth per year in the area and will also contribute to reduce maternal and infant mortality rate.
The experts hoped that the number of women and children who have access to primary health care would further increase due to the availability of efficient, affordable and good quality services in the Health Unit. At the signing ceremony, Ambassador OE stressed that improving primary medical and health services is one of the priorities in Japan's assistance policy towards Pakistan.
He expressed his hope that this project would lead to improve the health status of the community of the project area by providing maternal and child health care at affordable prices and hence, it would certainly strengthen the existing friendly relations between the peoples of Japan and Pakistan.