ISLAMABAD, May 1: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday expressed optimism about Pakistan’s capability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially the ones related to the health sector.
Talking to Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organisation who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House, he said that main focus was on measures to reduce child mortality, improving maternal health and combating polio, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS, an official told this correspondent said.
Terming WHO an important development partner of Pakistan, he praised the world health body for extending enormous financial, logistic and technical support to Pakistan, especially after the 2005 earthquake.
He said that a countrywide anti-hepatitis programme had been launched at a cost of Rs2.59 billion and the government would also launch another project to improve maternal and child health, especially in remote and rural areas.
Margaret Chan said she was impressed by Pakistan’s commitment to improve public health, especially by its programme to eradicate polio and the institution of lady health workers, which she saw during her visit to the NWFP.
The meeting was attended by federal Minister for Health Mohammad Nasir Khan, the secretary health and other officials.
Meanwhile, the WHO chief urged the government for sustained efforts to improve the country’s health indicators, particularly the ones related to maternal and child health.
Addressing a press conference at the health ministry, the WHO director-general said the world health body would like to see more government investment in health and education sectors. Pakistan currently spends Rs13 billion on its health sector.
Praising Pakistan for making substantial investment in the health sector over the past few years, she said that the government’s efforts would have to be supplemented by the world community.
Dr Chan said WHO would like to see polio to be ‘a textbook case’ very soon and that the country was “so close to its target yet still far away”.
So far, Pakistan has reported seven polio cases.
On the issue of ensuring security for health workers engaged in anti-polio campaign in security compromised areas, she said she was talking with governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan and Nato forces.
