Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to support the provincial immunization programme.

Under the signed MoU, the UNHCR will support the provincial government to effectively administer immunization service to all Afghan refugees residing in refugee’s villages and host communities of KP.

Since 2010, UNHCR has spent Rs.2.83 billion (U$27.14 million) in the health sector in KP of which Rs.1.34 billion (U$ 12.9 Million) has been spend on health projects in refugees villages and Rs.1.49 billion (U$ 14.2 million) under the Refugees Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Oscar Munida, head of UNHCR Peshawar said, “UNHCR values its collaboration with the department of Health as together we will strive to achieve the goal of providing improved healthcare service for all including Afghan refugees children across KP”.

He further said that under the RAHA programme, the UNHCR has contributed to KP health sector through various projects and provided support by upgrading health facilities in KP and will continue its support in 2017.

UNHCR will also continue to fund 42 vaccinators during 2017, who will work in the refugee villages and host communities to cover the refugee target population.

Expanded Programme of Immunization Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director Dr Hameed Afridi said that the KP Government and Pakistan Government hosting afghan refugees for the last 40 years and will providing best healthcare facilities.

He further said that KP Government was strengthening the Immunization system in the province as according to the survey there were 59 per cent coverage of immunization in the province.

He was of the view that the government taking steps and recruited more vaccinators to improve it. He said that the federal government has spent so far around Rs 18 billion on immunization while KP Government will spend Rs 6.7 billion for the next five years for the immunization in the province.

Dr Hameed Afridi said that 1600 vaccinators, Monitoring System, Android Phone System, MIS system, 150 mobility support surveillance will soon start work as the PC-1 has been passed to strengthen the immunization system in the province.

On a query about the diphtheria and measles cases in KP the Director EPI said that outbreak of diphtheria was reported from North, South Waziristan and Bannu, adding that the health department had taken emergency steps and control the disease.