Malta will donate medical supplies to flood-hit Pakistan where hundreds have died and thousands are injured and displaced, Health Minister Chris Fearne has announced.
The humanitarian aid being offered by the Maltese Health and Foreign Affairs Ministries, in collaboration with the Pakistan Embassy in Malta, follows an international call for aid by Pakistan, he said.
Logistics are in the process of being organised for the medical provisions, supplied from the Central Procurement and Supplies Unit, to be delivered to Pakistan which is facing the worst flooding the country has ever seen.
These include antibiotics, antiseptics as well as rapid COVID test kits.
It is not clear how much aid will be sent to Pakistan or what type of medical supplies will be offered.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that Pakistan is in need of long-term aid as the death toll from its catastrophic flooding continues to climb.
Floods in Pakistan have affected some 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said. About 12,000 are injured.
Children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance due to the risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition, according to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.
Internally displaced flood-affected people walk outside their tents at a makeshift camp in Sindh province. Photo: AFPThe flooding is the result of a combination of record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan's northern mountains.
Officials are now trying to release water from Lake Manchar, in Sindh province, into nearby districts of Jaffarabad and Bubak, home to around 100,000 people. They had hoped to prevent the lake from overflowing and flooding more populated cities and towns. But despite their efforts, water levels in the lake remained high.