ABU DHABI // The Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (Micad) said it was satisfied with the progress and performance of UAE-funded projects in Pakistan.
According to a report released by the ministry on Sunday, a Micad team recently visited Pakistan to review three healthcare facilities, two of which are under construction, and two bridges in Swat, a region that has been affected by flooding and terrorism.
The team found that performance was in accordance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development assistance committee’s standards, and the framework set by Micad.
The Dh18.4 million Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Model Hospital, which is under construction, is expected be able to treat 450 patients a day. It will have three operating rooms, 200 beds for in-patients and two ambulances.
A second hospital, the Emirates Hospital in Rawalpindi, is being built at a cost of Dh396 million and will offer health and treatment services to more than two million people a year.
It will have the capacity for up to 50 operations a day, with 16 operating rooms and 1,000 beds for in-patients.
The two hospitals aim to support Pakistan in lowering the mortality rates of children and women, reduce the proportion of common diseases and decrease infection rates in the region.
The third project is the Paramedic Institute in Saidu Sharif Swat, which opened this year and aims to produce at least 500 graduates every two years.
It offers diplomas in areas including radiology, haematology, anaesthesia, cardiovascular diseases, diagnosis of infectious diseases, mental illness, kidney disease, accidents, dentistry and physiotherapy.
“The people of Swat are very grateful to the UAE Government for helping them in difficult times,” said Prof Taj Muhammad Khan, the senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government official in the Swat region.
Prof Khan said that the area had suffered a lot because of natural disasters and terrorism.
He said that the Paramedic Institute was not only providing high-quality education, but was also providing employment.
The Micad team also visited two bridges which were funded by the UAE Government and opened about two years ago.
The Dh38.6m Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Bridge is 448.5 metres long, 10.7m wide and reaches a height of 7m. Two million people and four thousand vehicles use it each year.
The second, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Bridge, is 330m long, 10m wide, and reaches a height of 6m. It was built at a cost of Dh45.7m and is used by 70,000 people and 5,000 vehicles a year.
A Pakistani army official supervising maintenance and security of both bridges said that the densely populated Swat valley was divided by the river and highly dependent on the bridges.
After the floods in Swat in 2010, all the bridges in the region were destroyed.
“The bridges have not only connected the people but also play a crucial role in promoting local trade,” the official said.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
