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ADB approves $300,000 grant for health sector

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its meeting held last month approved a $300,000 grant from Japan Special Fund to conduct a health sector analysis in Pakistan, the government announced on Friday.

The study will propose cost-effective ways to expand reproductive health services to under-erved population in general and the poor in particular. Among the options that will be considered to expand services are government outlets, contracted village-based family planning workers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector.

"The design will ensure that overleap with comparable services is avoided and that added services are technically and financially sustainable," it was said in an official news release.

The study will also propose a realistic plan to improve the range and quality of reproductive health services of population welfare programme outlets, besides outlets managed by the Ministry of Health, NGOs and the private sector.

The study will further propose viable means for providing education to adolescents and traditional communities, in particular in NWFP. For these components, the technical assistance will address the specific management, supervision, supplies, equipment, monitoring and training requirements.

The last component will propose policy development, institution strengthening and capacity building needed for population welfare programme in general and the project components in particular.

ADB intends to finance, based on the outcome of this study, a reproductive health project through a loan of $30 million in the coming year.ÑFortuna