WB team, first lady visit houses for flood victims
A delegation of the World Bank's top officials, accompanied by the First Lady MNA Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited a health facility and interacted with the beneficiaries of the government housing project for flood victims in Benazirabad on Friday.
WB Managing Director Operations Anna Bjerde and the Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine also interacted with the people at the hospital and in the government built houses. The delegation was also taken to stalls displaying locally manufactured handicrafts.
The delegation toured the Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Jam Sahib and engaged with the health workers and patients to gain firsthand insight into the healthcare services being provided at the facility.
Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho and other health officers briefed the delegation, telling them that the BHU received more than 20,000 patients every month including a record 5,471 Outpatient Department (OPD) service. They apprised that in terms of the family planning services the BHU has surpassed its goal by 125% and its contraceptive services department has achieved 71% of its monthly target. They claimed quality maternity services and antenatal care, which included trimester check-ups, are also being provided at the BHU.
WB MD Anna Bejerde, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, CM Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Pechuho and WB Country Director Najy Benhassine visited the flood rehabilitation housing project in village Nazr Muhammad Laghari Goth, Shaheed Benazirabad district.
The delegation later met female members of the Village Reconstruction Committee (VRC), formed under the Sindh Peoples Housing Project, who displayed their handicrafts. They also visited houses in Nazar Mohammad Leghari village, where they handed over ownership documents to the beneficiaries.
Bejerde reaffirmed the World Bank's commitment to supporting the Sindh government in flood recovery efforts, praising the resilience of the local people and the leadership's dedication.
Aseefa highlighted that granting women ownership rights under the SPHF project is a historic socio-economic empowerment initiative by the Sindh government, significantly benefiting rural women.
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