ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a phone conversation with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), renewed pledge to purge the country of all forms of poliovirus and highlighted his government’s special emergency response plan for southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) areas to scale up and improve the polio eradication programme.

All polio cases belonged to southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) areas, Mr Sharaif said as both sides discussed the ongoing public health and social sector programmes supported by BMGF in Pakistan.

They exchanged views on BMGF’s support for various other government-led programmes aimed at addressing malnutrition and stunting, essential immunisation services, micropayment gateway RAAST, and digitization of the National Savings Programme.

Mr Gates reiterated the Foundation’s continued support to Pakistan for ensuring that no child is at risk of paralysis due to poliovirus.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2022