ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates held a telephonic conversation on Saturday.
According to a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), matters related to Pakistan’s commitment to comprehensive polio eradication and Covid-19 were discussed.
Gates conveyed appreciation for Pakistan Army for supporting the polio drive, ensuring proper reach and coverage. Gen. Bajwa said it was a national cause and credit goes to all the stakeholders involved in the process.
Gates also appreciated Pakistan’s success against Covid-19 despite resource constraints.
The army chief attributed the success to a true national response, executed through the mechanism of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) which allowed optimisation of resources.
He also appreciated his efforts towards this noble cause and assured him of continued cooperation.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the poliovirus still exists.
Pakistan reported its first polio case last week in nearly 15 months with a toddler paralysed by the crippling disease in Khyber Pakhtunkwa.
“Deeply saddened to share that a 15-month-old boy has been paralyzed in North Waziristan, Southern KP [Khyber Pakhtunkwa], as #Pakistan confirms a wild #poliovirus case after nearly 15 months,” tweeted Dr. Shahzad Baig, Coordinator National Emergency Operations Centre for Pakistan Polio Eradication Program.
Before that, Pakistan reported its last polio cases in the Qilla Abdullah district of Balochistan on January 27, 2021.
