US donates Pakistan 115,000 blood safety kits

[Ignited Mind]

US donates Pakistan 115,000 blood safety kits
​

* USAID acting country director hands over kits to Capital Administration and Development Pakistan secretary

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The US government on Thursday donated a two-year supply of blood safety kits to the government of Pakistan to support its National Blood Transfusion Programme. The 115,000 kits were presented by US Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Country Director Karen Freeman to Capital Administration and Development Pakistan Secretary Imtiaz Inayat Elahi at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

The kits will reach both public and private sector blood banks to ensure more than six million HIV and hepatitis-free blood transfusions across the country over the course of the next two years. The donation is estimated at $3.4 million.

“This support will enable Pakistan’s public and private sector health care institutions provide safe blood transfusions. These will help ensure delivery of quality health services to the people of Pakistan,” said Karen during the handover ceremony. “This is yet another example of the US government’s long-term commitment to supporting Pakistan’s development priorities.”

The support is part of a much larger, $100 million, USAID project that would strengthen Pakistan health sector’s ability to deliver health commodities to those in need. Under the project, USAID has recently completed renovation and expansion of the government of Pakistan’s central medical commodities warehouse in Karachi.

Through this project, USAID will install computerised logistic networks in all 143 districts in 2012 to help prevent shortages of medical commodities. It is expected that pilferage, leakages, rationing and corruption will be minimised within the medical commodity supply chain as result of these improvements. USAID is already funding medical supplies and equipment for federal, provincial, and district governments throughout Pakistan.

Imtiaz Inayat Elahi thanked the US government for its valuable support. He stressed that these screening kits will play a vital role in ensuring blood safety to the people of Pakistan.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan