Pakistan to procure 6.2m mosquito nets from India

• Malaria emerges as major public health issue in flood-affected areaa.
• 6.2 million mosquito nets will be acquired from India.
• Health officials say they will try to complete the process by mid-November.

ISLAMABAD: The health ministry was given go-ahead Tuesday to purchase 6.2 million mosquito nets from India as the country battles with mosquito-borne diseases due to floods.

According to health officials, the World Health Organization (WHO) is using financial resources provided by Global Fund to acquire the nets for Pakistan.

The officials said that they are planning to obtain the nets as early as possible and are hopeful that these would be obtained by the mid of November via the Wagah route.

“Malaria is spreading at a rapid pace in 32 flood-affected districts of the country where thousands of children are infected with the mosquito-borne disease,” they said, adding they are facing difficulties in its treatment.

They said that malaria has emerged as a major public health issue in flood-ravaged areas.

According to a report, the health ministry had sought permission to procure mosquito nets from India last month.

The official asserted that they had requested the Global Fund for the arrangement of mosquito nets for the 26 most-affected districts of Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan, where Plasmodium Falciparum cases were humongous and in response, the Global Fund offered to procure these nets from India if the government of Pakistan allows its procurement from its arch-rival neighbouring state.

“We have written a letter to the Ministry of Commerce to grant permission for the procurement of mosquito nets from India. If allowed, the Global Fund has assured us of arranging the required number of mosquito nets within a few days,” an official had shared at the time the ministry was approached.