PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government extended health emergency for three more months to ensure rapid procurement of medical equipments and personal protective equipment along with medicines for prompt and effective management of the Covid-19 pandemic in the province.

A notification issued on Thursday said that the health emergency was extended from August 11 till September 30 to be able to cope with the threat posed by the coronavirus efficiently.

The public health committee formed by the government to spearhead the preparedness work for prevention of Covid-19 invoked Public Health (Surveillance and Response) Act, 2017 on February 3 to be able to acquire medical supplies and other resources in speedy manner and put brakes on possible transmission of the virus.

Health officials said whenever emergency was declared by state, it relaxed the normal procedures of procurement and resource availability to help the relevant authorities to take quick measures as opposed to normal procedure that took longer to procure medicines, etc.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2020