Daily Times

Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, Dr Hanan Balkhy on Wednesday reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in achieving its health goals. In telephonic conversation with the Federal Minister for Health, Dr Mustafa Kamal, the Regional Director WHO congratulated him on assuming office as Pakistan’s Health Minister. Both leaders agreed to further enhance collaboration in the health sector. During the discussion, Dr Mustafa Kamal invited the WHO Regional Director to visit Pakistan, an invitation that Dr Balkhy graciously accepted. The visit will focus on addressing Pakistan’s key health challenges and strategies to achieve public health targets. “Health challenges transcend borders,” stated Dr Mustafa Kamal. “Pakistan is committed to strengthening global health security and, in collaboration with WHO, aims to establish a Global Health academy in Jeddah.” In response, Dr Balkhy assured that WHO would provide comprehensive technical support for this initiative. Highlighting Pakistan’s health challenges, Dr Mustafa Kamal emphasized that the country faces a rising burden of diseases. However, he reiterated the government’s firm commitment to making Pakistan disease-free. “We are utilizing all our resources and capabilities to tackle health issues effectively,” he stated. Dr Mustafa Kamal also underscored the significant challenge posed by hepatitis, revealing that Pakistan currently has over 10 million hepatitis cases. To address this, the government has launched the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis C Elimination Program nationwide. A pilot project in two districts of Gilgit-Baltistan has already been successfully completed. Regarding polio eradication, the Health Minister affirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to eliminating the disease. “An extensive polio eradication campaign will be launched in April to curb the spread of the virus,” he announced. Dr Balkhy commended the efforts of the Prime Minister and Pakistan’s health authorities in polio eradication and assured continued WHO support in fighting polio and other infectious diseases in the country. This collaboration underscores Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to improving public health and achieving global health security.