Islamabad: The UAE Project to Assist Pakistan, UAE PAP, has announced the launch of the UAE vaccination campaign against polio in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas in Pakistan.
The campaign comes in implementation of the directives and initiatives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to support the health sector in Pakistan,
The campaign, under the slogan “Health for All.. Better Future”, was launched during a press conference held in Islamabad.
During a statement at the press conference, Abdullah Khalifa Al Gafli, Director of UAE PAP, said that the launch of the UAE vaccination campaign comes as per the directives of Shaikh Khalifa to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the people of Pakistan. “It also comes as part of the initiative of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to eradicate polio in the world.”
He pointed out that the UAE campaign is a humanitarian initiative aimed at vaccinating 3.64 million Pakistani children against polio over a period of three months — June, August and September.
Shaikh Mohammad had previously donated Dh440 million as support to the global effort to eradicate polio by 2018, with a special focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This contribution is the second one to be provided by Shaikh Mohammd to deliver life-saving vaccines to children all over the world. In 2011, Shaikh Mohammad and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a strategic partnership whereby a total amount of $100 million, divided equally between the two parties, was presented for the purchase and delivery of vital vaccines for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Also, the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi in 2013 saw the announcement of the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan which aims to completely eradicate polio, which would cost the international community $5.5 billion.
