ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million results-based loan to help strengthen the quality of secondary healthcare in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The programme will help improve the delivery of health services at secondary hospitals by modernising infrastructure and equipment; ensuring clinical protocols, standards, and guidelines are implemented; and improving human resources planning and medicine supply chain management.

“While the coronavirus placed an enormous strain on essential health services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across the country, Pakistan now faces unprecedented flooding exacerbating the risk of waterborne diseases,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov.

“This program will make a key contribution to improving the quality of secondary hospital services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. And while it was conceived before the monsoon, it will also help people physically injured by the floods and support efforts to control the spread of infectious diseases.”

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s health sector faces significant challenges including outdated secondary healthcare facilities and equipment, and inadequate quality assurance standards and processes. The province suffers from high infant and maternal mortality rates, at 53 per 1,000 live births and 165 per 100,000, respectively.

“ADB’s assistance will help sustain health reforms started by the provincial government and strengthen the resilience of the health systems to future pandemics,” said ADB Senior Health Specialist for Central and West Asia Hiddo Huitzing.

“It will benefit an estimated 38 million people, including women in need of maternal health care services, and will also create jobs in the health sector.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022