Bill Gates praises Pakistan's efforts during call with PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), communicated with Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, on the phone and reaffirmed his government's commitment to eradicating polio from Pakistan.

After a 15-month break, Pakistan reported a polio case in North Waziristan, prompting the phone call.

As the prime minister noted, only one instance of polio was documented in 2021, but he insisted that his government was still committed to eliminating all kinds of polio in the country.

A particular emergency response plan for southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has already been implemented in order to boost the quality and security of the polio eradication programme and the protection of frontline health workers, he underlined.

BMGF's ongoing public health and social sector programmes in Pakistan, including polio eradication and the foundation's support for enhancing immunisation, nutrition, and financial inclusion services in Pakistan, were discussed during the telephone chat.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made it clear that the country's relationship with the BMGF was essential to the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underlined Pakistan's commitment to deepening its productive relationship with the foundation in all current work areas.

BMGF's assistance in Pakistan's polio eradication efforts has been much appreciated, he said in a statement.

Bill Gates commended Pakistan's efforts and reaffirmed the Gates Foundation's commitment to helping the country eliminate the poliovirus as a cause of paralysis in children.