Staff Reporter
The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on polio eradication concluded its two-day meeting in Islamabad, commending the Government of Pakistan for its leadership and commitment to end polio, while also highlighting the urgent need for a programme transformation to address the remaining challenges and end polio once and for all.
The two-day meeting was attended by representatives of the Government of Pakistan, Polio Eradication leadership at the national and provincial levels, partners and donors of the Polio Eradication Programme, including Rotary International, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In his remarks the TAG Chair, Dr Jean Marc Olivé, appreciated the exceptional commitment of the Government of Pakistan to polio eradication efforts. To this end, he stated, “the political commitment to polio eradication in Pakistan is exceptional. The country programme needs to capitalise on its strong country leadership, and regain the ‘one team’ approach where all the partners work together as one team,” he said.
Taking into account the existing challenges and expanding polio epidemiology with as many as 58 polio cases reported so far this year, members of the TAG emphasised that Pakistan urgently implement a transformation across the programme.