ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel on Friday said that the government of Pakistan would extend every possible support to Afghanistan in the medical field.

Addressing the handing over ceremony of donation of five trucks carrying medicines for Afghanistan, the minister said that 30 more trucks would be dispatched to Afghanistan with sufficient quantity of medicines for Afghan brothers and sisters.

He said, “Afghanistan is our neighboring country and both countries are enjoying good cordial relations. It is our moral responsibility to support the people of Afghanistan in a difficult time.”

He said that Pakistan always supported Afghanistan in various fields and assured full support to the Ministry of Health Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan had constructed three hospitals in Afghanistan at a cost of 2.3 billion rupees besides donating medical equipment.

The minister said that 24 Afghan doctors and nurses had been trained at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) while an amount of Rs one billion was being provided to the Afghan government to run the hospitals and for the salaries of hospital staff.

On this occasion, Afghan Health Minister, Dr. Qalander Ebad thanked the government of Pakistan for supporting the Afghan government in the health sector. He added that Pakistan always supported Afghanistan to address its problems and support its people.

He said that there was dire need for medicines and health equipment to ensure medical care for the people of Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services had timely supported the Afghan Health Ministry.

Both countries are jointly working to eradicate polio and implementing effective strategies considering complete polio elimination as the top priority of both governments, he expressed.