QUETTA:
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Monday met UNICEF’s Country Representative in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, at the Chief Minister’s House in Quetta to discuss collaboration in health, education, and child welfare.
The meeting focused on strengthening efforts in polio eradication, routine immunization, and improving services for children. Both sides agreed that better coordination and joint planning are essential to enhance public services. UNICEF also offered to provide specialized training to upgrade the skills of health department staff in the province.
Highlighting government initiatives, the chief minister said wide-ranging reforms were underway in the health and education sectors, with significant resources being allocated to primary healthcare, immunization, and polio eradication. To address staff shortages, the government has begun contract-based recruitments to ensure people have access to essential services at the local level.
Bugti said more than 3,200 closed schools had been reopened during the past year, while 1,200 additional community schools would be established this year. “Our goal is that no school in the province remains closed by the end of the year,” he added.
He further noted that the government was monitoring flood risks in districts bordering Sindh and had taken precautionary measures to protect local communities.
