Amna Ehtesham Khaishgi
ABU DHABI // Polio workers are closer to their goal of vaccinating 10 million children in Pakistan this year, thanks to funding from the UAE.
From June through August, the Pakistan Assistance Programme treated 8 million children in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions.
As part of a larger development and infrastructure aid programme the UAE has been offering to Pakistan, Dh1.2 billion has been spent on roads and bridges, education, health and water-supply projects.
Programme director Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli said the main challenge facing his polio workers was to increase awareness about the vaccinations. The group is conducting large-scale media campaigns highlighting the dangers of polio and urging people to get their children vaccinated.
“Other difficulties are hard-to-access villages, changeable weather conditions and high temperatures in summer. But these obstacles were overcome and thanks to joint efforts, vaccination campaigns were conducted with great success.”
He believed the country’s polio problem was being exacerbated by poor healthcare facilities and a lack of education.
In addition to funding, Emiratis have contributed in other ways.
“Emirati engineers are doing the field work, engineering drawings, technical work and feasibility studies and supervising construction work until the projects are completed and handed over to the relevant government bodies,” Mr Al Ghafli said. He noted that coordination with the Pakistani army and government was essential to ensure the aid reached where it was most needed.
He asked for the Pakistani expatriate community’s help to fund the development of schools, colleges, universities and hospitals.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
