PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government extended health emergency for three months in view of Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak after confirmation of five cases in the country and circulation of virus in the neighbouring China, Iran and Afghanistan.
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, which hit the neighbouring China.
A notification, issued here on Thursday, said that emergency was extended till June 1. Officials said whenever emergency was declared by state, it relaxed the normal procedures of procurement and resource availability to help the relevantauthorities to take quick measures as opposed to normal procedure that took longer to procure medicines, etc.
Source: Dawn
