A high-level meeting was held at the National Emergency Operations Centre where Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication, met with Dr. Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to discuss strategies for strengthening Pakistan’s immunization efforts.
During the meeting, Ayesha Raza Farooq praised Gavi’s ongoing partnership and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing routine immunization as a key national priority. The participants emphasized the need for improved coordination between the polio eradication initiative and routine immunization programmes to ensure better health outcomes.
Discussions also highlighted plans to expand access to essential health services in high-risk areas, including improved nutrition, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare clinics. The leaders agreed on developing a joint strategy to achieve sustainable and long-term vaccination results across the country.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Soofia Yunus (FDI), NEOC Coordinator Muhammad Anwar-ul Haq, and senior officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and the Polio Programme.
