Dr. Shahzad Baig, the national coordinator of Pakistan's Polio Eradication Programme, earned a spot on Time magazine's prestigious list of 'TIME100 Health' based on his efforts in polio eradication in the country and the global fight against the disease.
"TIME100 Health is a community of leaders from across industries—scientists, doctors, advocates, educators, and policy-makers, among others—dedicated to creating tangible, credible change for a healthier population," noted TIME.
Jeffrey Kluger, Editor at Large for Time magazine underscored Dr Baig's impact in his profile, citing a remarkable decline in polio cases since he assumed leadership.
The magazine said that despite facing challenges such as extremist threats against polio workers, "Dr Baig remained undeterred in his mission". "....Baig has declared that the days of extremists driving out polio workers are over."
Before being put in charge of Pakistan's polio eradication programme, Dr Baig contributed significantly to Nigeria's successful eradication of polio as a technical adviser.
The TIME's editor added that under Dr Baig's guidance Nigeria "succeeded spectacularly" in achieving polio-free status in 2020. Time projects Pakistan to be the next to rid itself of the debilitating disease. "If Baig has his way, Pakistan will be the next," said Kluger.
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The feature piece maintained that since Baig assumed the position in 2021 the case counts plummeted, with only six children stricken in 2023. "The goal is to bring that number to zero by 2026," added the editor.
According to Kluger, under Baig's leadership, "The government has deployed 400,000 vaccinators and 80,000 security personnel to inoculate more than 90 million children this year alone, with another 24 million to come in a springtime vaccination drive."
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme lauded Dr Baig's inclusion in the TIME100 HEALTH list.
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