In a meeting with Bill Gates, PM Shehbaz pledges to eliminate polio from Pakistan
On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed his commitment to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan during a meeting with Bill Gates and officials from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
This meeting of the National Taskforce for Polio Eradication in Islamabad marked Gates' second visit to Pakistan, following his meeting with then-PM Imran Khan in February 2022 on a special invitation.
PM Shehbaz previously met Gates in April on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit, where he reiterated Pakistan's tireless efforts to eliminate polio. He expressed gratitude to the BMGF for its long-standing support and emphasized the need for sustained efforts from all partners to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.
Today, PM Shehbaz stressed that federal and provincial governments are working together to eradicate polio, noting that five eradication campaigns have been conducted in the past six months.
Last week, nine more positive environmental samples for polio were detected, bringing this year's total to 185, with five polio cases reported so far.
The prime minister also highlighted other areas of cooperation with the foundation, including digitisation, which he said would greatly benefit Pakistan's economy.
During the meeting, Gates stated that polio eradication efforts would continue for the next two to three years to ensure the complete elimination of the disease from Pakistan.
In March, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur reiterated his determination to make the province polio-free in a meeting with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Deputy Director Michael Galloway.
In a phone call with Gates last year, PM Shehbaz emphasized Pakistan's commitment to ending all forms of polio in the country.