The World Bank signed an agreement with Government of Pakistan on a new project called “Pandemic Response Effectiveness in Pakistan”. The primary objective of this project is to support the GOP to prepare and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and strengthen national public health preparedness. The scope of this project will be nationwide, covering all provinces and territories of the country.
The project will focus health sector operations to help address the critical needs to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19. It will also support strengthening the country’s national health systems for public health preparedness and response needs related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and includes mitigation measures in social protection and education to help the poor and vulnerable cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic.
The primary project beneficiaries will be infected people, at-risk populations, medical and emergency personnel as well as service providers at medical and testing facilities. Staff of key technical departments and provincial health departments will also benefit from the project to increase their capabilities.
The primary target groups for the support to mitigate socioeconomic impacts are expected to be:
- Highly vulnerable affected households , particularly the poorest.
- Households who are affected due to mobility restrictions such as quarantines.
Various benefits can be availed by the households including emergency cash transfers, emergency food supply for quarantined populations and children’s learning activities.
