PM reaffirms commitment to virus eradication
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government was taking every possible measure to protect Pakistan's children from polio and safeguard their future.
Reaffirming the commitment to a polio-free future, the premier maintained that polio eradication remained a national priority and urged all stakeholders to intensify their collective efforts.
He was talking to a delegation of Polio Oversight Board, which called on him at the PM House.
The delegation included Mike McGovern, Chair of Rotary's Polio Oversight Board; Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation; Dr Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director of WHO EMRO; and representatives from UNICEF, Gavi, and other partners supporting Pakistan's polio eradication efforts.
The prime minister welcomed the delegation and thanked all partners for their continued cooperation with the Government of Pakistan in the fight against polio.
He directed that special attention be given to polio hotspots in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and called for the adoption of an effective strategy to address the challenge.
The delegation praised the Government of Pakistan's measures toward achieving a polio-free Pakistan and lauded the Prime Minister for the significant progress made.
The meeting was also attended by Minister for National Health Mustafa Kamal, Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, and other senior government officials.
SMEDA
The prime minister directed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to facilitate the provision of loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to boost the country's exports.
The premier, chairing a high-level review meeting to discuss matters related to SMEDA, emphasized the need to enhance the capacity of SMEs and instructed that special facilitation, awareness, and access to easy credit should be provided to farmers for the processing of agricultural commodities and fruits.
He called for encouraging the commercial banks to design specialized financial products tailored specifically for the credit needs of SMEs, directing comprehensive assistance for SMEs during the preparation of feasibility studies and other stages.