Pakistani delegation arrives in Washington to participate in Health Dialogue
US-Pakistan Health Dialogue will be held in Washington Health Minister Abdul Qadir...
The first ever US-Pakistan Health Dialogue at held in Washington.
WASHINGTON: The first ever US-Pakistan Health Dialogue at held at the US State Department in Washington as both sides agreed to expand cooperation in the health sector.
Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel, who was leading a four-member Pakistani delegation, said Pakistan and United States will deepen their health cooperation in field of immunization, nutrition, mother’s health and child survival.
Addressing US-Pakistan Health Dialogue, the minister said the two countries have also started collaborative effort to develop Centre for Disease Control in Pakistan.
Health Minister thanked the US administration for provision of 61.5 million COVID vaccines, 16 million pediatric vaccines and other equipment including protective kits and ventilators in country’s fight against the pandemic.
He said that Pak-US cooperation during COVID pandemic clearly demonstrated that a robust Pak-US partnership in health sector could prove a bulwark against pandemic and diseases thus saving millions of precious human lives.
The health dialogue also highlighted donation of four mobile testing labs by the United States that would augment Pakistan’s capacity in diagnosing COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, especially in remote areas.
The USAID will also undertake new programs in Pakistan under Global Health Security Agenda. It was also decided to strengthen cooperation between US Food and Drug Administration and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
The US Centre for Disease Control will also help NIH in strengthening disease data center in Pakistan. The next session of the US-Pakistan Health Dialogue is planned to be held in Pakistan.
The US side was co-led by US Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Global Health Atul Gawande, US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs Loyce Pace, and included representation from Department of State, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The US State Department also issued a statement stating the US-Pakistan Health Dialogue provides a framework to sustain and strengthen health sector collaboration.
It said the discussions centered on establishing a Pakistani CDC, global health security, childhood immunizations, COVID-19, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases. Both sides identified areas of mutual engagement and established an action plan to reach shared goals.
During the dialogue, the United States also announced it was donating 16 million doses of pediatric vaccines for COVID-19 to Pakistan in partnership with COVAX, on top of the 61.5 million adult vaccines doses already donated. An additional $20 million in USAID funding is also planned to support vaccination efforts.
The Dialogue also highlighted the donation of four mobile testing labs by the United States through USAID to National Institute of Health in Islamabad worth $4.6 million. These labs will strengthen Pakistan’s ability to diagnose COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, especially in remote and underserved areas.
In addition, the US CDC announced the successful transfer of the Pakistan Field Epidemiology Training Programme to the government of Pakistan that will build upon this program and other ongoing investments to support and coordinate strong disease surveillance and response systems.
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