Pakistan seeks ADB’s additional financing for virus vaccination

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan has expressed hope that Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide additional financing to enable the government to carry on vaccination drive against the Covid-19 pandemic unencumbered.
The minister chaired a meeting on additional financing for procuring Covid-19 vaccines on Thursday.
The meeting discussed additional financing options by the Bank to the Government under ADB’s “Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility,” for vaccinating the remaining population of Pakistan against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the meeting, Omar Ayub Khan highlighted WHO’s recognition of the government of Pakistan’s efforts in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, and rapidly vaccinating a large section of the population.
The country director ADB reiterated the bank’s commitment to support the government’s vaccination drive against Covid-19. It was highlighted that out of the initial $500 million provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in August 2021, $409 million had already been utilised for the procurement of vaccines.
The federal minister stated, “I firmly believe that ADB will also ensure the provision of additional financing to enable the government to carry on its vaccination drive against the Covid-19 pandemic unencumbered.” – TLTP