ISLAMABAD - A high-level delegation of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and its partners called on Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar here on Wednesday.
Welcoming the delegation, the minister said that mother and child healthcare is a priority agenda of the government. He said the government was committing resources to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation as it provides most cost-effective protection to children and mothers against deadly and debilitating diseases and saves lives of hundreds of thousands of children every year.
Dar appreciated the support of GAVI and its partners including the World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for their continued support for strengthening Pakistan’s child immunisation programme. He said the federal and provincial governments are focused on increasing immunisation coverage with special attention to underserved areas. The minister highlighted that, with the help of GAVI and its partners, significant progress has been made in immunisation coverage over the past one year.
On the occasion, the delegation members expressed their appreciation for the impressive performance that has been made by both the federal and provincial governments in the area of immunisation during the last two years. Hind Khatib-Othman, Managing Director of Country Programmes at GAVI, conveyed the warm regards of the GAVI Deputy CEO to the minister, and expressed gratitude to the minister for his leadership which has been essential for the progress made in the immunisation programme.
Dr. Timothy Evans, Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice at World Bank Group, also thanked Dar for his leadership, which has resulted in significant increase in immunisation coverage. Dr Orin Levine, Director of Vaccine Delivery at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that it was exciting to see the progress that has been made over the last year.
He informed the minister that, according to a John Hopkins report, every single dollar invested in vaccination of children results in a return of $44, and therefore, Pakistan will definitely bear the fruits of its current commitment to this noble cause.
Dar appreciated the kind words and sentiments of the representatives from GAVI, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the other partners, present in the meeting. He highlighted that, despite curtailing fiscal deficit over the past three years, the government has ensured significant increases in expenditures on social safety initiatives, including the health sector. The Finance secretary, Health secretary and senior officials of Ministry of Finance also participated in the meeting.