ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation led by Gates Foundation President for Global Development Chris Elias, said a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
The prime minister said that, with the support of reliable partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, efforts will continue until polio is completely eradicated from Pakistan.
He added that Bill Gates’ valuable services in eradicating polio in Pakistan will always be remembered.
The prime minister expressed profound gratitude to Bill Gates and the Muslim brotherly countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, for their cooperation in Pakistan’s fight against polio.
Complete eradication
Sharif said that the government is taking practical steps within a comprehensive strategy and with an effective team, and is determined to achieve the complete eradication of this disease from Pakistan at the earliest.
Despite significant success in the ongoing fight against this disease, further emergency measures are indispensable, the prime minister added.
Sharif stated that the federal government, under an effective strategy, is working in full coordination with the provinces to ensure polio teams have access across the length and breadth of the country.
He said that relevant projects under the Public Sector Development Program for the anti-polio campaign will continue.
Public awareness
The prime minister directed that the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with all relevant institutions, should formulate recommendations for public awareness on polio eradication and vaccine provision.
Gates Foundation President for Global Development, Chris Elias, said that the Gates Foundation highly appreciates the prime minister's personal attention to polio eradication and the effective, practical measures taken in this regard.
Effective measures
Elias said that Pakistan is taking effective measures to eradicate polio and is moving toward success.
Constructive consultations on polio eradication with the federal and provincial governments and relevant institutions in Pakistan will continue, he said.
Elias added that effective and commendable measures have been taken to eliminate the environmental presence of the polio virus in Pakistan and to ensure polio teams' access to all areas.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, and other senior government officials were also present at the meeting.
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