PM emphasises enhanced use of technology across health sector including polio

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday in a meeting with Polio Eradication Team emphasized the importance of increasing the use of technology across all health sectors, including polio eradication, to modernize public health monitoring systems and achieve better outcomes.

The prime minister met with the polio eradication team to discuss the ongoing efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan. The meeting included Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for National Health, Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Federal Secretary of National Health Nadim Mehmood, National Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Anwar-ul-Haq, WHO Deputy National Team Lead Dr. Sogair, and Senior Advisor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Mohammad Safdar, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif shared that he had received a letter from Bill Gates, the Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in which Gates praised the ongoing efforts in Pakistan’s polio eradication campaign. He lauded the tireless work of the polio workers in the country.

The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other national and international partners for their support, which has been instrumental in advancing health initiatives and collaborative efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister also directed the formulation of a structured roster for visiting high-risk polio-affected areas during the campaign to ensure even more effective results.

Despite these efforts, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the unfortunate rise in the number of polio-affected children in the country, calling for even greater collective efforts to address the issue.

He reiterated the importance of ensuring the security of polio workers, emphasizing that their safety cannot be underestimated and called for all possible measures to be taken in this regard.

The prime minister was briefed on the latest developments in the polio eradication campaign, with a focus on the significant role played by local communities in making the initiative successful.