Pakistan to receive $60 million in polio vaccine funding by Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) which is aimed at supporting the polio immunisation campaign in the country.
IsDB will provide Pakistan with $60 million in polio vaccine funding, including a $21 million grant from the ‘Lives and Livelihood Fund (LLF)’.
On behalf of the Government of Pakistan, the Economic Affairs Division penned a financing agreement with the IsDB representative to fund polio vaccination campaign.
Read more: Multiple doses of vaccine needed to eradicate polio in Pakistan, say experts
The amount includes a loan of $39 million and ‘Lives and Livelihood Fund grant of $21 million from the IsDB. These funds will be used for polio vaccination.
Noor Ahmed, Secretary of the Division of Economic Affairs, welcomed the backing of the IsDB for the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (2019-2021).
He said, “The long-standing partnership with the Islamic Development Bank is being celebrated today.”
“We have earned continuous bank funding over the years in order to keep up the fight for a polio-free Pakistan. We also show gratitude to the Lives & Livelihood Fund (LLF) partners for releasing the grant for this serious cause.”
From 2013 to 2021, the IsDB provided Pakistan with $487 million in funding for the Polio Eradication Program. This funding was used to improve vaccination, monitoring, vaccine procurement, social mobilization, and communications operations.
The program conducts high-quality vaccination initiatives in Pakistan aimed at reaching out to children. More than 260,000 frontline health workers are executing such campaigns.
Officials from the Islamic Development Bank emphasized the value of polio vaccination in attaining the goal of a country free from polio.
He assured the bank’s continued support for this cause by noting that the IsDB leadership is committed to supporting the pandemic and other deadly diseases of the vulnerable populations of the member countries.
