Islamabad: The United Kingdom on Saturday announced the first in a series of measures to give wide-ranging support to help the poorest and the most vulnerable people in Pakistan during the current coronavirus outbreak.
According to the British High Commission, Pakistan, £2.67 million funds will be provided for vital health support to help Pakistan give medical assistance to the seriously ill, build stronger systems to detect and test for COVID-19, and support communities to have the right information to protect themselves and others.
Also, the UK will give away £1 million for the rapid response of controlling locusts in Pakistan's affected areas having a devastating impact on crops and livelihoods.
The wider package of support, which the UK will roll-out over the coming weeks, is meant to repurpose the DFID’s programme of assistance to ensure it helps those at risk and the most vulnerable during the coronavirus response. The £2.67 million funds will help people in 27 districts across all five provinces of Pakistan. It comes alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal to overseas diaspora to help fundraise for the COVID-19 response, and the UK’s support for Pakistan’s debt relief and loan postponements from the G20 group of countries.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner CMG said current were extraordinary times as millions of people were affected by COVID-19 across the world.
He, however, said he was confident in Pakistan’s resilience and capability to defeat the pandemic.
“The UK health support of £2.67 million will help the government of Pakistan detect COVID-19, protect communities and help those most affected. We (UK) stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in Pakistan at this difficult time,” he said.
According to him, the UK announced a package of £200 million on April 12 to back its charities and international organisations to help reduce mass infections in developing countries. It brings the total amount of UK aid committed to the global fight against coronavirus to £744 million, making the UK one of the biggest donors to the international response.
The UK aid will fund a £2.67 million package to the World Health Organisation to help to improve the preventive, testing and treatment services in 27 districts across all five provinces of Pakistan.
The UK aid has given £1 million to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to tackle the swarms of locusts up until September 30, 2020.