ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated the resolve of the government to make Pakistan a polio-free country and said that the federation along with all the provinces were taking steps at polio eradication.
He said all the provinces had been taken into confidence over the polio eradication measure and together they would efface the disease.
A delegation of the Polio Oversight Board comprising Christopher Elias, a Representative of the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, Dr Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director World Health Organisation, UNICEF Regional Director Sanjay Wijesekera, Deputy Director Center for Disease Control and Prevention Andrea Fristedt, Rotary Foundation Trustee and National Chair Dr Aziz Memon, Dr. Ziyad bin Ahmed Meemish of King Salman Humanitarian and Relief Center and Health and Environmental Advisor KSrelief Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh called on the prime minister, PM Office Media Wing in a press release said.
PM reaffirms govt’s resolve to eradicate polio PM reaffirms govt’s resolve to eradicate polio
The prime minister thanked the delegation for their visit and support to the government’s efforts to end polio.
He also expressed his gratitude to the King Salman Foundation, Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, Rotary Foundation, UNICEF, and CDC which are partners to the government in its anti-polio measures.
The prime minister observed that the part played by these organisations showed global efforts in the polio eradication drive and expressed confidence that they would overcome the challenge of polio and would not rest till it was banished forever.
The meeting was attended by the PM’ Coordinator on National Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, the PM’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, and other senior officials.
The delegation praised the prime minister and the polio eradication team for their efforts.
The representative of Bill and Gates said that the current strategy of the country against polio disease had effectively been implemented and its effects were being witnessed at the macro-level which hopefully would end the polio cases.
Dr Hanan Balkhy said that for public health, the regional countries were required to strengthen their contacts and initiate dialogue.
During the meeting, a briefing on the government’s steps was given. Under the prime minister’s directive, the team on polio eradication visited the polio-affected far-flung areas.
Under the prime minister’s directive, a third-party audit of the anti-polio drive was carried out. The children diagnosed with polio were being looked after. The spread of polio was minimised in those areas where the vaccination ratio was better, it was added.
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