Lower funding gap: Ministry to draw up 3-year polio eradication plan

Planning Commission approves plan at an estimated cost of $314m.

ISLAMABAD: The Planning Commission has allowed the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) to draw up a PC-1 proposal for a $314 million polio eradication initiative. The plan will be formulated over a three-year period.

The approval came during a consultation meeting held between the Ministry of NHSRC, provincial health departments and the Planning Commission.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, coordinator for the National Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Eradication, said that the programme faced a funding gap of $22 million. This includes the operational cost of $11.43 million, the cost of social mobilisation activities which remains at $7.46 million. For the purpose of surveillance a sum of $3.1 million is required.

Dr Safdar said that for the last three years the total amount required was $327 million. Earlier, the programme faced a funding gap of $68 m which has now been reduced to $22 million, he said.

“Pakistan is hopeful that international donor agencies will help it to fulfill this funding gap. They have committed to assist the country to continue its fight against the crippling disease effectively,” Dr Safdar said.

According to him, Pakistan is on track to achieve its target to wipe out the polio virus from the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2015.