Islamabad: The World Bank (WB) has drawn up a USD 247.5 million programme to support Pakistan’s frontline healthcare workers whose lives have been negatively affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic — a news source reported.
In this regard, the WB Pakistan recently shared details about the proposed PKR 200 million project, called ‘Pandemic Response Effectiveness in Pakistan (PREP)’. Additional funding of PKR 47.5 million from the bank’s existing projects is also expected to be utilized for the initiative.
The WB team managed to prepare the project within a short period of just 10 days. As a result of its quick response to the emergency, by April 23, USD 69.8 million worth of funds had already been disbursed among communities affected by the ongoing lockdown.
The project further involves the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to doctors and medical staff; including items like masks, gloves, protective suits, gowns, coveralls, and face shields. Reportedly, the first batch of the said PPEs has already been delivered.
