ISLAMABAD: A US diplomat on Tuesday vowed Washington would continue its “full support” for Islamabad’s health program, in a meeting between representatives of the two countries where discussions related to bilateral cooperation in the health sector were held.
Pakistan and the US bolstered cooperation in the health sector last year when former health minister Abdul Qadir Patel led a four-member delegation in July 2022 to Washington. The delegation participated in the first-ever “US-Pakistan Health Dialogue.” The two sides held meaningful discussions on establishing a Pakistani Center for Disease Control, global health security, childhood immunizations, COVID-19 engagement, regulatory engagements, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases.
Islamabad and Washington also closely cooperated during the coronavirus pandemic three years ago, when the US donated over 61.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan, making the US the largest donor of COVID-19 vaccines to the South Asian country. Washington also provided large quantities of N95 masks, protective goggles, ventilators, and pulse oximeters to Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s health secretary Iftikhar Shallwani met the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Islamabad, Andrew Schofer, to discuss matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation in the health sector.
“Full support [for Pakistan] will continue in the health sector,” Schofer said, according to a statement released by Pakistan’s health ministry. He said the first round of the US-Pakistan Health Dialogue was a successful one, adding that the second would begin “soon.”
Shallwani praised the US for coming to Pakistan’s aid during the devastating floods of 2022 and the coronavirus pandemic. He added that Pakistan’s growing population was a “huge challenge” for the South Asian country and that Islamabad was working to eradicate the menace of polio as well.
“Polio is also a big challenge for Pakistan, therefore, work on an emergency basis to eradicate it is currently going on,” Shallwani said.
