Interim govt committed to eradicate polio: health minister

Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan says interim government is committed to actively implement a special emergency response plan to eradicate polio in the country.

Talking to a private news channel, he said polio vaccination campaign in remote areas and tribal is significant in reduction of polio cases in the country.

Dr Nadeem Jan Ministry of Health is actively involved in the polio program and we will ensure that the focus on polio remains unwavering.

The Health Minister said present government will maintain zero tolerance regarding provision of quality medicines to patients in government hospitals.

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Earlier in the month, the Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan visited the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and assured that the government will continue its efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan.

Speaking at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the caretaker health minister affirmed that polio eradication will feature prominently among his priorities during his tenure.

“This

visit holds great significance and I will ensure that every conceivable measure is undertaken to elevate Pakistan to the ranks of polio-free countries. Treat me as a worker of the programme and I will do anything that needs to be done to interrupt transmission by the global deadline,” he said.

Meanwhile, Federal Health Secretary, Iftikhar Shallwani, said, “The Health Ministry has been actively involved in the Polio Programme in the past few months and we will ensure that the focus on polio remains unwavering. We are very lucky to have a seasoned public health specialist as a leader with in-depth knowledge and experience of polio eradication efforts.”

Dr Jan met the entire team at the NEOC, visited the Polio Control Room and discussed the current priorities for the Polio Programme.

Dr Jan is a recipient of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz and Sitara-i-Imtiaz and has worked with the UN, USAID, World Bank, EU, DFID and international non-government organisations for the past two decades.