PM Nawaz expresses resolve to end polio within six months
Future of Pakistani children is at stake, the Prime Minister said.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of National Steering Committee on Eradication of Polio in Islamabad today (Wednesday) to review measures being taken by the government and other partners to eradicate polio from the country.
Chief Ministers of all four provinces, chief secretaries, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Health Minister and army officials attended the meeting.
Also, representatives of UNICEF, World Health Organisation, World Bank and JICA were present in the meeting.
Addressing the participants, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan is facing different challenges but polio will be eradicated at any cost.
He has instructed all the provinces to take this matter with seriousness and any negligence in this regard shall be considered as crime against our future generations.
“Future of Pakistani children is at stake and we must protect them,” he added.
The Prime Minister stated that Pakistan shares the concerns of international community on polio, but it should also understand that the country is facing different challenges like inaccessibility, terrorism and misconception in tribal areas about the campaign.
“We are also ensuring polio vaccination of international travelers in compliance with international health regulations,” he said.
PM Nawaz said Pakistan has faced many problems in the anti-polio drive as the frontline health workers have been targeted by the extremists. He ordered concerned authorities to provide ensure full-proof security to polio workers.
Briefing the meeting, National Coordinator for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said a total of 235 new cases have so far been reported this year alone and the toll is likely to go up in the next two months.
She stated that government must benefit from ongoing military operation in the North Waziristan tribal region. Coverage of IDPs camp should be done and the government should ensure security of every polio worker.
Meanwhile, the international organizations assured billions of rupees aid to Pakistan in its fight against polio. Japan has assured to provide Rs550 million while Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will provide Rs37 billion for anti-polio campaign.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus has been cornered to just a handful of areas in Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, the three countries where polio is endemic.
