PM reaffirms commitment to polio eradication in talks with global health delegation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday renewed Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio, calling it a top national priority and urging global and domestic stakeholders to accelerate joint efforts to wipe out the disease.

Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with a seven-member delegation from the Polio Oversight Board (POB), according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The delegation included Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary International’s Polio Oversight Board; Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Representatives from UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, were also present.

“We are taking every possible measure to protect the future of Pakistan’s children from this debilitating disease,” Sharif said, thanking international partners for their continued financial and logistical support.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where poliovirus remains endemic.

The prime minister directed health authorities to implement a targeted and more effective strategy focusing on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which historically served as a hotspot for the virus due to security challenges and vaccine hesitancy.

The visiting global health delegation praised Islamabad’s recent efforts, noting significant progress in vaccination coverage despite regional complexities.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal and the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq.