ISLAMABAD: International development partners commended the country’s performance to arrest poliovirus transmission across the country and committed to continuing their support to the government of Pakistan in their efforts to eradicate polio. International development partners shared their unrelenting assistance, during a high profile briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre. International partners, who attended the meeting, included the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canadian High Commission, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Rotary International, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID). Partners were also given a detailed briefing on the status of the ‘Polio Programme’ by National Coordinator, Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar. Besides current polio situation, he presented programme performance during low transmission season 2015-16 gauged through the independent third party. While touching the recent assessments by Technical Advisory Group and Independent Monitoring Board, Dr Safdar shared a plan to address the remaining challenges during the upcoming low season starting from nationwide campaign on September 26. The strategic objectives of the National Emergency Action Plan 2016/17 included stopping of poliovirus transmission in all reservoirs, detection, containment and elimination of poliovirus from newly infected areas, maintenance and increase in population immunity against polio throughout the country and stopping of international spread of wild poliovirus (WPV) by decreasing risk across common reservoirs. “Steady pressure on the virus is paying dividend that can be seen well beyond the reduced case count. Core reservoirs are now Khyber, Peshawar, Nangarhar, Quetta, Kandhar and Karachi”. Through consistent cooperation and support of the communities, “we are all set to wipe the virus off,” said Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar. Earlier, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, apprised the partners on the determination of the government to fulfil the unfinished agenda of ‘Polio free Pakistan’. In her remarks, she said that the programme has travelled a considerable distance over the past 18 months to overhaul the performance management and accountability systems and structures. While highlighting the successes of the program, Senator Farooq said that the prime minister’s continued direct oversight and active involvement through the National Task Force (NTF) and the Prime Minister’s Focus Group (PMFG) allowed the program to heighten oversight and accountability everywhere. Inaccessible children have been reduced to negligible levels and frontline staff is engaged in campaigns each month, drawn mainly from the local government infrastructure, he added. Discussing the accountability mechanism of the program, PM’s polio focal person said that the implementation of a nationally endorsed accountability and performance management framework has resulted in good performance. Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq appreciated the support of international community. “Post-polio, we would collectively continue benefiting from this critical Emergency Operation Centres (EOC) infrastructure and working mechanisms in the interest of broader public health agenda in the country” said PM’s polio focal person. Partner representatives termed the programme success in Pakistan as a lesson for all public health programmes and urged utilisation of the critical network of EOC to deliver broader national public health agenda in future.