Lahore, December 3, 2007 - The USAID Pakistan Mission Director, Anne Aarnes, presented here Friday eight ambulances to the Punjab Health Department under the USAID-funded Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) project. Of these, two ambulances each would be provided to the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Jehlum, and Rawalpindi which will deliver emergency patients to district and tehsil hospitals.

"When a health emergency arises, every minute counts," said Ms. Aarnes. "We want to be sure that trained staff can respond quickly to help a mother and baby who are in crisis and transport them right away to a hospital for further care."

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by John Snow Incorporated (JSI) in partnership with the Government of Pakistan, the $49.9 million Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) project builds the capacity of existing health systems and fosters a community-based approach to ensure a continuum of care for mothers and newborns.

The project is being implemented in ten districts in Pakistan. These include: Dehra Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Jhelum and Rawalpindi in the Punjab, Dadu and Sukkur in Sindh; Lasbella and Jaffarabad in Balochistan; and Buner and Upper Dir in Northwest Frontier Province.

Support for this project is part of the $1.5 billion in aid that the U.S. Government is providing to Pakistan over five years to improve economic growth, education, health and governance and to assist with earthquake reconstruction.