WHO hands over 500 protective gear kits to NIH

Islamabad : The World Health Organisation (WHO) handed over a consignment of 500 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including surgical gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, gowns, goggles, liquid soap, and other supplies, to the National Institute of Health (NIH) here on Sunday, thereby equipping Pakistan to better respond to the threat of Novel Coronavirus.

WHO Pakistan is learnt to have provided technical guidance, screening tools, and laboratory support for management of cases at the federal and provincial levels. With the PM’s Special Advisor on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza in the lead, it is working with the Ministry of Health to make timely interventions in consonance with the fast-changing situation. Both Dr. Zafar and WHO Head of Mission Dr. Palitha Mahipala are closely collaborating to mount a timely and swift response to the health emergency.

WHO has also provided PPE to the Directorate of Central Health Establishment in the Ministry of Health and has established a Strategic Health Operations and Communication (SHOC) room for emergency response. With reference to awareness, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material including flyers and leaflets have been printed and disseminated to raise health awareness of travelers and the general public about prevention and control of Coronavirus.

The health agency is also supporting the establishment of isolation wards by providing PPE and technical guidance at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences-Islamabad, Services Hospital-Lahore, Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital-Sialkot, Nishtar Hospital-Multan, Benazir Bhutto Hospital-Rawalpindi, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical University-Karachi, Khyber Medical University-Peshawar, DHQ Hospital-Gawadar, and Sheikh Zahid Hospital-Quetta.

WHO has also collaborated with the Ministry of Health for the establishment of health desks at Ports of Entry (PoE) especially at Islamabad, Karachi Lahore, and Quetta airports. These airports have been equipped with skilled human resource and IEC material to provide information to travelers about safety measures. Areas bordering with China will start screening once the border is open. WHO is also facilitating acquisition of laboratory testing material, PoE assessment for case management preparedness, infection prevention and control, and surveillance.

Only a couple of days ago, Dr. Zafar and Dr. Palitha visited the Islamabad International Airport where they checked travelers using infrared thermo guns provided by WHO. These guns measure body temperature without touching an individual and are used for identification of suspect cases.

It was on December 31, 2019 that the Chinese government informed the WHO Country Office about cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City. On January 7, 2020, the Chinese authorities identified a new type of Coronavirus and on January 12, China shared the genetic sequence of the Novel Coronavirus for countries to use in developing specific diagnostic kits. To date, 14,599 confirmed cases have been reported from 24 countries including China, with 305 deaths.

The SAPM is leading the preparedness and response to nCoV in Pakistan. The Ministry convenes meetings for coordination and progress review with relevant departments. A high-level committee with senior-most inter-sectoral and provincial representation has also been notified for a national executive oversight. “We are very impressed and appreciate the preparedness for n-CoV in Pakistan. WHO is continuously committed to support the government of Pakistan in responding to this public health emergency of international concern,” said Dr. Palitha

Meanwhile, in a tweet on Sunday, Dr. Zafar has congratulated the leadership of NIH for its hard work in securing the reagent for diagnosis of Novel Coronavirus. “As of today, we now have the capability of diagnosing Coronavirus in Pakistan,” he stated. In another tweet, he has thanked WHO for setting up health booths where standardized information material is available for public dissemination.