A significant high-level review meeting on polio eradication was chaired by the Federal Minister for Health, Mr. Mustafa Kamal. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Special Secretary Health, Additional Secretary Health, the National Polio Coordinator, as well as representatives from WHO, UNICEF, and provincial health authorities.
During the meeting, a comprehensive review of the recent nationwide polio vaccination drive was presented. Over 45 million children were successfully administered the polio vaccine drops. National and provincial coordinators shared detailed updates on the ongoing polio eradication efforts, highlighting progress as well as obstacles.
Minister Mustafa Kamal emphasized that protecting children from polio is a collective national responsibility that requires urgent and sustained efforts from all segments of society. He urged parents to proactively seek out polio workers and ensure the immunization of their children, reminding that safeguarding children’s health is a matter of accountability both in this life and the hereafter.
The Minister highlighted that while cancer treatment is possible, polio remains an incurable disease, reinforcing the critical need to eliminate the virus through effective vaccination campaigns. He called for a significant policy shift to enhance campaign effectiveness and stressed the importance of unity and societal participation in this national mission.
"Only two countries in the world still face the threat of polio," Mustafa Kamal stated, noting ongoing extensive campaigns in Afghanistan, effectively supported by the Taliban government. He expressed his hope for simultaneous polio-free status for both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He concluded by motivating the nation to overcome this challenge, stating, “If we can defeat India as one nation, we can certainly defeat polio. If Palestine remains polio-free despite war, then what are we waiting for?”
The Federal Health Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying polio eradication efforts to ensure a polio-free Pakistan in the near future.
