Dr Marilyn Wyatt, the wife of US Ambassador Cameron Munter, highlighted US-Pakistan cooperation in the healthcare sector during her visit to Mandra Rural Health Centre in Gujar Khan Tehsil Headquarters Hospital on Monday. Dr Wyatt met doctors, healthcare workers, patients and community members. The centre specialises in community-based care for pregnant women and newborns. As part of its Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN), the US government funded renovations to the centre’s labour room, donated an ambulance to the centre, remodeled residence units for healthcare workers so that they could provide 24-hour/seven-day care. Key to the success of the project was the involvement of female healthcare workers who formed support groups of pregnant mothers and conducted regular meetings where the women learned how to take care of themselves and their babies. During a tour to the centre with Senior Medical Officer Dr Khalil and Dr Nabeela Ali whose work was instrumental in creating the centre, Dr Wyatt said: “Mandra Rural Health Centre is a good example of what Pakistan and the United States can accomplish in the healthcare sector when we work in partnership with each other and the community. I commend Dr Nabeela for her efforts Dr Khalil and the centre’s team for the excellent work they are doing, and the Punjab government, that has put its own resources into the centre and has been solely responsible for its operation for over a year.” PAIMAN is a six-year $92.8 million project of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) that works in 24 districts across Pakistan.
