Germany to provide €12m grant for healthcare development in KP, GB

ISLAMABAD: Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and German Development Bank (KfW) Country Director Wolfgang Moeller on Thursday signed financing agreements for Social Health Protection ‘Phase II’.

Under the agreement, KfW will provide grant assistance worth €2.6 million and €9.4 million for Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively. The collective amount offered is equivalent to €12 million.

The financial contribution shall be used exclusively for the development of social health protection schemes in KP and GB to provide quality healthcare services to the registered beneficiaries. KP and GB health departments will be involved in the implementation of the programme which will cover the cost for hospitalization for childbirth, common diseases of childhood, injuries, accidents, common surgeries and medical ailments.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar, who thanked the German government for the assistance. He said the grant will help redress critical health-related issues in far-flung regions of GB and KP.

He highlighted that these initiatives are truly commendable as they are geared to impact the lives of the common man.

“The government values the focus of the German Government to invest in such schemes and looks forward to further strengthening future cooperation in the upcoming Government to Government (G2G) Negotiations to be held in Berlin, 2019,” he added.