The secret of Pakistan’s Covid-19 success
The Times
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Article Author: The secret of Pakistan’s Covid-19 success
Media Source: The Times (Kuwait)
Date: 3 December 2020
Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Founding Director of the Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and Institute for Global Health and Development in Pakistan, writes that, in Pakistan, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the polio programme to suspend its vaccination campaigns in order to protect the health and…
Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Founding Director of the Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and Institute for Global Health and Development in Pakistan, writes that, in Pakistan, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the polio programme to suspend its vaccination campaigns in order to protect the health and safety of its workforce and local communities. The expertise and infrastructure that have been instrumental in combating polio pivoted quickly to stopping Covid-19, which has proved critical in Pakistan’s response. This underscores the importance of continued international investment in the polio programme – not only to stop polio, but also to address other health priorities. Renewed financial commitment now could provide just the catalyst the country needs.