ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Japan’s ambassador to Pakistan Takashi Kurai visited the National Emergency Operation Centre for Poilo Eradication in Islamabad on Wednesday where he was briefed about the progress made in polio program.
The briefing was given by Senator and National Coordinator of Polio Emergency Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar.
The Japanese envoy was also taken to the polio control room for a briefing on live data collection of the campaigns. He was also given a briefing on polio cold-chain management besides taking him through cold storage for polio vaccine.
Meanwhile in a meeting with the visiting Japanese envoy, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq said that the government of Pakistan highly values the financial support from people and government of Japan to procure much needed polio vaccine and hope that this contribution will go a long way in stopping the circulation of virus in Pakistan.
It may be recalled that the government of Japan had earlier extended a soft loan of 6.29 billion Yen (approximately USD 59 million) to the government of Pakistan for polio eradication in Pakistan. The notes were signed and exchanged between Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Additional Secretary for Economic Affairs Division Anjum Assad Amin, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Minister of Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Statistics and Privatization Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar witnessed the signing ceremony.
This loan will be utilized to procure 273 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccines for polio eradication campaign .The government of Japan has focused on polio eradication, which is indeed a global challenge for public health.
Since 1996, for over 20 years Japan has supported polio eradication campaign in Pakistan by way of procurement of polio vaccine, strengthening the logistics for delivery through cold chain system, improvement in the treatment of vaccinators, dispatching Japanese medical experts, and so on. Thereby Japan’s assistance including this Yen loan reaches approximately 22.6 billion Japanese Yen (approximately USD 212.5 million) in total.
