Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has reached Pakistan for a day-long visit to Pakistan. During his visit on Thursday. Bill Gates landed at Nur Khan airbase where government officials received him.
During his day-long visit to Pakistan, Bill Gates, also the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan. He will also visit the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC). Gates will be briefed on the polio eradication program in Pakistan.
Earlier, PM Imran Khan and Bill Gates had had several telephonic conversations before. In a telephonic conversation, they discussed the matter of shared concerns including polio eradication in Pakistan and the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
It is a pleasure to welcome Mr Bill Gates on his first ever visit to Pakistan. Planned engagements include review of progress on polio eradication; visits to NCOC and Ehsaas program as well as meeting the President, the PM and health leadership of the provinces.
— Faisal Sultan (@fslsltn) February 17, 2022
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PM Imran Khan had expressed satisfaction with the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support communities across the globe.
A polio-free Pakistan
Back in 2021, in another telephonic conversation, PM Imran Khan said that the government is making earnest efforts to make Pakistan a polio-free country despite the challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
In a telephonic conversation with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Wednesday night, the prime minister discussed the ongoing polio eradication campaign in the country as well as the country’s response to the public health challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister appreciated the work of BMGF for the socio-economic uplift of the most disadvantaged people around the globe, especially for promoting universal access to health services and combating infectious diseases. He expressed gratitude, in particular, for BMGF’s partnership with Pakistan to rid the country of polio.
Read more: PM Khan committed to making Pakistan polio free
The Prime Minister reaffirmed that polio eradication remained a key national priority for the government. He mentioned that a special polio eradication campaign was launched in the country earlier this month (June 7-11), during which vaccine drops were administered to over 33 million children under five years of age.