Pak-US collaboration essential to fight pandemics: Abdul Qadir Patel

Washington: Pakistan and United States will advance and further strengthen their cooperation in  the health sector, specifically, areas of immunization, nutrition, maternal health, child survival and health security across borders.

The two countries have also started collaborative effort to develop Centre for Disease Control in Pakistan.

These comments were made by Pakistan’s Federal Health Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Mr. Abdul Qadir Patel while addressing the US Pakistan Health Dialogue here hosted by US State Department, United States Agency for International Development and Department of Health and Human Services.

Health Minister thanked the US administration for provision of 61.5 million COVID vaccines, 16 million pediatric vaccines and other equipment including protective kits and ventilators in the country’s fight against the pandemic.

He said that “Pak-US cooperation during COVID pandemic clearly demonstrated that a robust Pak-US partnership in health sector could prove a bulwark against pandemic and diseases thus saving millions of precious human lives.” “Disease knows no boundaries. A pandemic will not only be a challenge for a particular country but the region and beyond”, said the Health Minister.

The day-long session of US-Pakistan Health Dialogue deliberated upon establishing Pakistani Center for Disease Control (CDC), Global Health Security, childhood immunizations, COVID-19 engagement, maternal and child health and non-communicable diseases. The two sides reiterated their commitment to continue close collaboration in the aforementioned areas and to regularly monitor progress into agreed areas of cooperation.