ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the government is making all-out efforts in consultation with the provincial governments for the provision of equitable preventive and curative health services to all of its citizens through an integrated approach. Talking to Regional Director WHO Dr Hossein Abdel Razzak Al Gezairy at the PM House Friday afternoon, Premier Gilani said his government had earmarked Rs 70 billion for the public sector development budget, which was much higher than the previous year's allocation. The Prime Minister while announcing PM's Polio Eradication Action Plan said that he would personally lead the campaign by bringing all the stakeholders together. He said the government had adopted a two-pronged approach for eradicating polio i.e. by observing national immunisation days while making efforts for universal coverage of routine immunisation. He said polio eradication was was the deep desire of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. It was during her tenure in office as prime minister that the polio eradication drive was launched all over the country in the year 1994, he added. Keeping in view the huge number of Hepatitis B and C virus infections in the country, the Prime Minister said the government had launched an extensive National Hepatitis Control Programme and the Ministry of Health had already been directed to beef up its activities to contain this deadly disease. "In addition we have included Hepatitis B vaccine in the regular schedule of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to ensure that all newborn children are immunised against Hepatitis B," he added. The Prime Minister further said that the government recognised the need for an effective, efficient and sustainable Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Mechanism (HEPR) which was devolved to the district level and was responsive in the shortest possible time in the event of any health emergency. For the said purpose an exclusive HEPR was established in the Ministry of Health, which was responsible for overall planning, capacity building, resource mobilisation, monitoring and supervision of the activities undertaken for treatment and rehabilitation of the trauma victims, he mentioned. The Prime Minister further said that the government was laying special emphasis on mother and child healthcare through MNCH Programme, National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, National EPI Programme and Nutrition Programme. All these programmes, he said, reflected the government's commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to reducing infant and maternal mortality, adding he would personally monitor the progress of those programmes. The Prime Minister said the government was fully aware of the role of improved health services in poverty alleviation. He said the government was looking forward to further strengthening its excellent partnership with WHO for improving the health of the people of Pakistan. Gezairy extended WHO's full support to Pakistan in its efforts to eradicate polio and Hepatitis B and C. He said that WHO would explore avenues for further cooperation and enhancement of the primary healthcare initiative Secretary Health, DG Health and WHO Representative in Pakistan also attended the meeting.