By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday approved $300 million emergency assistance loan to strengthen Pakistan’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant detrimental impact on the health and economic prospects of the people of Pakistan,” said ADB Vice-President Shixin Chen in a statement. The project will support the purchase of medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals; upgrading of medical facilities; training of health workers; the purchase of emergency vehicles to strengthen rescue capacity in remote border areas, reads the statement. To protect the poor, ADB’s project will provide cash assistance to directly benefit the women of poor households.through the government.