PM Sharif stresses complete polio eradication amid emerging cases

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed concern over the emergence of new polio cases in the country while presiding over a meeting to review the affairs of the National Health Ministry at the PM House in Islamabad.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. The country has made significant efforts to eradicate the disease, including organized nationwide polio vaccination campaigns. However, challenges such as parental refusal, misinformation and security issues have hindered full eradication.
Pakistan reported its fifth polio case this week after a two-year-old child from Quetta, Balochistan, passed away, saying he was suffering from the disease.
“We will utilize all national resources and partner help to ensure the complete eradication of polio from the country,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement circulated after the meeting.
Pakistan has been working closely with various international donors and agencies, including the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to eradicate polio.
These collaborations focus on funding, providing vaccines and supporting public health campaigns to increase vaccination coverage and monitor polio cases across the country, especially in high-risk areas.
The prime minister also announced the construction of the Quaid-e-Azam Health Tower in Islamabad, saying it would meet international standards and directed the immediate preparation of a plan to build the facility under public-private partnership.
He instructed that the health tower should include top-quality hospitals, a medical university, a nursing university, modern technology-equipped laboratories and diagnostic centers for diseases.
“The health sector is an extremely important and sensitive sector, tasked with the crucial duty of saving human lives,” he said. “I will personally oversee health-related matters in Islamabad.”