Expanding Access to COVID-19 Vaccines to Remote Areas in Pakistan

Providing COVID-19 vaccines is a priority of the Government of Pakistan, however ensuring equitable access to the vaccines is a challenge because nearly 63% of Pakistan’s population lives in remote areas where access to healthcare is limited and large health disparities remain (World Bank, 2021). JSI, through the USAID-funded Integrated Health Systems Strengthening and Service Delivery Activity (IHSS-SD), is supporting the Department of Health (DOH), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines and health information. The activity is repurposing mobile health service units (MHSUs) to provide outreach services to all eligible populations in the districts of Swat, Charsadda, and Lakki Marwat. Since June 2021, three MHSUs have provided essential health information and administered life-saving COVID-19 vaccines to 70,220 people.