ISLAMABAD: Pakistani nationals who want to travel abroad and require additional vaccination can get a booster shot at designated facilities after paying Rs1,270 per dose, said an official notification issued by the country's health ministry on Friday.
The country's planning minister and health chief had already announced the decision during a joint news conference on Tuesday.
However, the cost of the additional coronavirus vaccine only became public after the health ministry circulated the notification.
"In pursuance of [the] National Command and Operation Center's decision taken in its meeting held on 24th August, 2021, additional vaccination to travelers will be administered at selected Public Corona Vaccination Centers (CVCs) on payment," it said. "The fee of the booster dose of vaccines shall be Rs. 1,270/- per dose."
The notification further said people should deposit the amount in the National Bank of Pakistan before getting the additional shot.
Pakistan's health chief Dr. Faisal Sultan clarified during his news conference earlier this week other people were still not required to pay anything to benefit from the official immunization campaign.
However, he added that the government would charge a nominal amount for the booster shot to travelers since the measure was not to prevent the spread of the disease but to meet international travel requirements.
The country's top health official also announced the government was considering the possibility of giving a booster shot to elderly health workers along with immunocompromised individuals after October 1.
Tens of thousands of Pakistani students and workers travel to other countries every year, though this movement became somewhat restricted after the emergence of the global pandemic.
Pakistani workers in other countries also make a significant contribution to their national economy by sending large sums of money to their home country.
During the last fiscal year, the Pakistani diaspora community remitted about $30 billion, according to official records.
For a fee, travelers can now get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan
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For a fee, travelers can now get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan
- According to a health ministry notification, Pakistani nationals planning to travel abroad will have to pay Rs1,270 to get an additional coronavirus shot
- Other people are still not required to pay anything to benefit from the country's official immunization campaign
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
https://x.com/eupakistan/status/2001258048132972859
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
