News Desk |
On Monday, Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, had a meeting with Bill Gates, co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to deliberate upon measures to address the gaps in Pakistan’s healthcare and developmental sectors.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations in Seattle, United States. The two also explored the agendas on enhancing the availability of digital financial instruments to lower-income groups.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a major humanitarian force that is dedicated to multiple healthcare and developmental programs across the world.
Dr. Sania Nishtar and Bill Gates also explored new avenues and measures to eliminate malnutrition and growth stunting amongst young children, which is a major challenge for the Pakistani authorities.
In Pakistan, the Gates Foundation is a key partner to multiple governmental and private organizations, to eradicate poverty with greater emphasis on the polio eradication initiative, introduction of new vaccines, and enhancing immunization.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries that are still combating cases of the lethal polio virus that needs to be combated more effectively.
Gates Foundation Partners with BISP
Pakistan has emerged a regional leader in utilizing digital financial tools and mobile money accounts to eradicate poverty, and the Gates Foundation has partnered up with Karandaaz to support the expansion of delivering these tools amongst the poor.
Read more: Bill Gates called Gen Bajwa, appreciated armed forces efforts in eradicating…
The Gates Foundation will also be assisting the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), chaired by Dr. Sania Nishtar, to investigate innovative opportunities in the realm of digital financial instruments aimed at poverty elevation and improving financial security amongst the low-income groups. This initiative will be focused upon combating the healthcare, education and income-related challenges faced by the beneficiaries of BISP.
Dr. Sania Nishtar and Bill Gates also explored new avenues and measures to eliminate malnutrition and growth stunting amongst young children, which is a major challenge for the Pakistani authorities.
The Gates Foundation will provide the PTI-led government with extensive research and innovative initiatives to strengthen Prime Minister Imran Khan’s multi-sectoral nutrition strategy, executed as part of the “Ehsaas” poverty alleviation scheme.
Read more: Ehsaas Program: An inspirational and bold move by Imran Khan?
After her meeting with Bill Gates, Dr. Sania Nishtar tweeted, “It was inspiring to visit the Gates Foundation earlier this week and discuss priorities in development with Bill Gates. We are already working together in health, financial inclusion and other key areas and our partnership will continue to grow.”