More than 1,500 Lady Health Workers affected by floods in Punjab and Sindh will receive kits of basic equipment to assist them as they offer vital health care services to families in their communities. This donation is part of the United States' continuing support for Pakistan's flood relief and recovery efforts.
The kits were donated by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to Pakistan's National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care. Kits include blood pressure monitors, scales, thermometers, blankets, tents, and basic furniture. This equipment will enable Lady Health Workers to set up health houses to provide basic services in flood-affected communities.
"Lady Health Workers are a cornerstone of Pakistan's primary health care programme," said USAID's Deputy Mission Director Rodger Garner at the handing over ceremony in Islamabad. "These kits will help ensure that Pakistani communities in flood-affected districts of Punjab and Sindh have greater access to the basic health services."
The kits are delivered by USAID's Family Advancement for Life and Health, or FALAH, programme. To improve the well being of Pakistani families the program provides educational materials and services to encourage early prenatal care, birth spacing, and proper postnatal care for both mothers and new-borns.
Iqbal Ahmed Lehri, National Co-ordinator of the Lady Health Worker Programme, welcomed this donation and thanked USAID for its support. He noted that the FALAH programme has already significantly improved the quality of services offered by Lady Health Workers by providing them training in counselling skills on maternal and family health.