Indus Vitals

IV Report KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on July 28 launched the distribution of 432 motorbikes and seven mobile vans among vaccinators and outreach teams of the Sindh Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), as part of the World Bank-financed National Health Support Programme (NHSP). Speaking at the distribution ceremony, the minister—accompanied by Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Iqbal Baloch—handed over symbolic keys to designated district health officials. She said the newly allocated vehicles, branded with EPI messaging, were aimed at strengthening routine immunisation services and boosting public awareness across communities. The latest initiative follows an earlier phase held on May 16, when EPI distributed 300 motorbikes to support vaccinators working in remote and hard-to-reach areas under a mobility programme financially supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Previously, EPI had also equipped its female vaccinators with 55 scooters. At ...

KARACHI: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and World Bank Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde distributed home ownership certificates to women in Nazar Muhammad Laghari Goth, a flood-affected village in District Shaheed Benazirabad, during a visit on May 23. They were accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine, and Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood Affected (SPHF) CEO Khalid Mahmood Sheikh. The visit focused on the ongoing rehabilitation efforts under the SPHF programme, which is tasked with rebuilding homes destroyed during the 2022 floods. According to an official statement, the programme is being implemented by the Sindh government with financial and technical support from the World Bank. During the visit, the delegation was briefed that all 32 homes destroyed in the village have been rebuilt. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Anna Bjerde met members of the local Village Reconstruction C...

ISLAMABAD: A World Bank team, led by Senior Economist Inga Afanasieva, recently reviewed the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project's progress. The $400 million project, executed by the Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HECP), focuses on research grants, faculty capacity building, undergraduate education policies, and quality enhancement. According to HECP, HEDP aims to support research excellence in strategic economic sectors, improve teaching and learning and strengthen higher education governance. During the week-long review, detailed meetings assessed the project's six components, including safeguards and fiduciary aspects. HEC Executive Director Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum emphasised the importance of project missions in tracking progress and documenting lessons learned. HEC and WB teams agreed on the next steps that will ensure that every opportunity should be availed to support the higher education sector during the remaining project lifespan. “The HEDP tea...