Ashrafuddin Pirzada
ISLAMABAD: The United States Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer; Federal Secretary at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination, Dr, Muhammad Fakhre Alam Irfan; and Pakistani National Institute of Health Chief Executive Officer Ghazal Parveen inaugurated a US-funded entomology laboratory on Monday that will strengthen Pakistan’s ability to track and respond to vector-borne disease outbreaks.
“The devastating 2022 floods across Pakistan reminded us of the health risks posed by waterborne diseases,” Schofer said.
He added that “the United States stands with Pakistan as it continues to recover from the floods.”
The laboratory, funded by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, was the latest milestone in the longstanding US-Pakistan health partnership. He said that for decades, the United States and Pakistan had collaborated closely to support the health of the Pakistani people. After both the 2010 floods and the 2022 floods, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention experts travelled to Pakistan to consult with Pakistani and UN partners about how to effectively respond to the health crises stemming from the flooding.
In recent years, the United States and Pakistan have also partnered to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with the United States supplying over 80 million doses of safe and effective COVID vaccines to Pakistan thus far.
The US Agency for International Development has also built clinics and hospitals across Pakistan, expanding access to quality health care.
For example, the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences, built by USAID, remained open during the 2022 floods, providing necessary medical care to flood-affected individuals.
He said the United States would continue to build a strong health and science partnership with Pakistan, including through the US-Pakistan Green Alliance framework.
