The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Monday approved a further $2 million grant to support the Government of Pakistan's efforts to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country, said a press release issued on Monday.
The grant, financed from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, will help fund the immediate purchase of emergency medical supplies, personal protective equipment, diagnostic and laboratory supplies, and other equipment.
It supplements an initial $500,000 approved by the ADB on 20 March, which is already being deployed to support Pakistan's procurement of emergency supplies through the UNICEF.
Taken together, this $2.5 million in approved funding represents the ADB's immediate response for Pakistan, with further support to follow. "ADB recognizes the extraordinary burden of this pandemic on Pakistan and is committed to supporting Pakistan in the fight to control COVID-19," said ADB Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang.
"This grant will help strengthen COVID-19 detection, improve infection prevention and control, and boost Pakistan's capacity to respond to the pandemic."
The ADB's assistance echoes the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for the COVID-19 and Pakistan's National Action Plan for COVID-19, which includes preventive measures, containment efforts, and treatment of infected persons.
Given the urgency of the required support, the ADB will use the most flexible and expeditious approaches to facilitate procurement of the required medical supplies and equipment.
On 18 March, the ADB announced an initial package of approximately $6.5 billion to address the immediate needs of its developing member countries as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ADB stands ready to provide further financial assistance and policy advice down the road whenever the situation warrants, said the press release.-PR