Government official in Pakistan says country lagging in addressing polio eradication

From The Daily Times in Pakistan:

LAHORE -- Pakistan’s neighbours and most other countries in the world have become polio-free, while Pakistan is still fighting the viral disease, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif said on Oct. 10.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day national polio eradication campaign at Fatima Jinnah Medical College (FJMC) and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He said it was the collective responsibility of the nation to rid the country of polio. He said a healthy society was pivotal for the country’s progress and provision of top medical facilities was a government priority.

Poor conditions: Shahbaz said the conditions at public hospitals were unsatisfactory despite the availability of resources. He said the government was spending billions of rupees to uplift the health sector and provide better health facilities to the people of backward areas. He said the government could achieve the desired results with a collective effort of doctors, nurses and the paramedical staff.

The CM said 70 percent of the people benefited from government hospitals, while 30 percent went to private hospitals.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Board of Management Chairman Justice (r) Mehboob Ahmad, the Health Department secretary and the director general, the FJMC principal and representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as well as doctors and medical students attended the ceremony.