Af-Pak talks on combating poliovirus suggested

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Result-oriented discussions have been suggested between Afghanistan and Pakistan to check the poliovirus.

Coordinator to Prime Minister on National Health Services (NHS) Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed floated the suggestion on Tuesday.

He called for Kabul-Islamabad talks on the issue during a meeting with Michael Galway and Hamid Jafri of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Islamabad.

Federal Secretary Iftikhar Ali Shallwani and the NHS DG health also attended the meeting, which underlined the partnership between Pakistan and Gates Foundation in combating poliovirus.

The Gates Foundation officials highlighted their close engagement with Pakistan on polio eradication. They noted Pakistan’s significant progress in controlling the crippling disease.

The coordinator to the prime minister spoke about the challenges raised by population movements across the Durand Line.

He called for a result-oriented dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan to effectively rein in the poliovirus.

The health secretary highlighted the importance of community participation in achieving the shared goal of a polio-free Pakistan.

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