WFP donates equipment worth 60 million rupees to the PHD

Lahore: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today handed over medical equipment and assocaited itmes worth more than 60 million rupees to Health Department, Government of Punjab. Special Secretary, Baber Hayat Tarar received the equipment from Wahid Murad, WFP Acting Head of Programme, in a ceremony organized in Lahore.

Dr. Nisar Cheema, Director General (Health), Dr. Akhtar Rashid, Manager, National Programme for Family Planning & Public Health Care, Punjab Health Department, Shahzada Rashid, Chief Provincial Officer, WFP Punjab, representatives of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and WFP others officials were also present on the occasion.

“As part of its commitment to strengthen the capacity of the government institutions, WFP has been supporting the national institutions through the supply of associated non-food items in addition to assisting the food insecure population by providing food.” Said Wahid Murad, Acting Head of Programme, WFP Pakistan.

Wahid added that “in addition to the equipment, WFP has also trained more 400 staff of national programme and NGO partners in managing supplementary feeding programme under the ongoing CMAM (Community based management of acute malnutrition) intervention and in commodity management.”

The current donation of equipment includes blood pressure apparatus, delivery tables, oxygen cylinder, DNC kits, water coolers, emergency lights and furniture for patients and staff. This equipment will be utilized in 212 basic health facilities in eight districts of Punjab including Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Leyyah, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

WFP partners with the Health Department of Punjab, the National Programme for Family Planning and Public Health Care, UNICEF and other NGOs in implementing nutritional support activities in the province.

Through the CMAM programme, WFP provides specialized nutritious foods to treat moderate acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months. The agency also provides food to the siblings of acutely malnourished children and malnourished pregnant and nurshing women in areas were food insecurity is most pronounced, including districts affected by previous years’ flood.

During 2012, WFP distributed more than 3,000 tons of specialized foods through the CMAM programme in Punjab. The assistance benefited nearly 91,000 moderately malnourished children and over 57,000 pregnant and lactating women across nine districts.

WFP plans to extend this support into two districts of Punjab for the next three years.