Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh government has requested the World Food Program (WFP) for the provision of an air ambulance and smart ambulances to work in poverty and hunger stricken areas of the province.

The request was made at time when Sindh government itself has failed to construct required roads in the province. According to official data, province needs 140,900 kilometers of roads as per the formula 1 kilometer per square kilometers but it has only 4800 kilometers in length throughout the province. Due to absence of required network, climate change prone areas like Thar Desert, Kohistan and Achro Thar are not accessible for rescue, relief and rehabilitation during the natural catastrophe such as severe droughts.

But instead of constructing the roads, Sindh Government has asked World Food Program (WFP) to provide air-ambulances to reach these areas due to lack of the roads or worst condition of road infrastructure.

Not only this but the Sindh government has also invited World Food Program to work in poverty and hunger stricken areas of the province and WFP must provide smart ambulances to Sindh Government so that it could work easily in these areas.

These requests were made by Sindh Minister Planning and Development Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani on Friday during a meeting with a delegation of World Food Program consisting of Country Director Finbarr Curran and provincial head Aline Rumonge.

“During emergency many patients die before reaching hospitals due to poor transportation and infrastructure; hence, WFP is requested to provide Sindh Govt with an air ambulance,” Minister added.

“World donors should come forward to start projects for pure drinking water in dry and barren areas of kacho Tharparkar Umerkot and areas of Sindh adjoining Baluchisan border for which Sindh govt will provide its fullest support assistance and coordination,” Minister said.

He stressed that it’s motive of Sindh government to ensure health facilities reduce poverty and hunger and improve quality of life in province and said ,”to materialize this we are ready to extend all possible support to any world organization.

The delegation briefed on ongoing projects of WFP such as scaling up nutrition, community management of acute malnutrition and reduction in stunt growth of children successfully in eight districts of Tharparkar Umerkot Sanghar Jamshoro Thata Sujjawal Mirpur Khas and Badin.

In response, minister proposed the delegation to initiate projects for health nutrition and poverty reduction in rest of the districts of Kashmor Kandhkot Qambar Shahdadk.