Gates Foundation to assist establishment of 1,200 health camps in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced around $7.5 million in humanitarian aid for the people of Sindh and Balochistan, devastated by flooding.

Additionally, the Foundation has repurposed its contributions to supplement the government's rescue and relief efforts.

In a letter addressed to Ambassador Masood Khan, President of Global Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Christopher Elias conveyed that the Foundation's Polio Program would also support Aga Khan University's operation of 1,200 health camps in the worst-affected flood districts.

The letter also said that the Foundation would increase its assistance for three maternity facilities serving the biggest number of displaced women to boost midwifery care and intrapartum services.

Mr Elias reminded the Ambassador that the Foundation had an active $4 million grant for the underprivileged in flood-affected areas receiving food subsidies and emergency cash transfers. He offered his heartfelt condolences for the flood-related losses on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"This is a catastrophe of national proportions that has captivated the attention of the globe," stated the president of B&M Foundation's global development division.

Ambassador Masood Khan praised the Foundation for its outstanding support during a crucial period for the Pakistani people. In a letter dated 26 August 2022, Ambassador Masood Khan informed Mr Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, of the massive destruction caused by the floods.

The Ambassador remarked, "These floods result from climate change and severe weather patterns." He stated that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had played a vital role in Pakistan's healthcare, human, and humanitarian crises help. Ambassador remarked, about the Foundation's humanitarian help, "We have not forgotten the Foundation's $700,000 gift after the 2010 floods."