Finalized ‘Road to Zero’ Strategy Targets Polio Eradication.

LAHORE: During a two-day National Polio Management Team (NPMT) meeting that ended here on Friday, the national and provincial leadership reaffirmed their commitment to eradicate polio from Pakistan by completing a comprehensive “Road to Zero” strategy.

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) coordinators from each of the four provinces, as well as representatives from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), attended the meeting, which was chaired by Ms. Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio.

There were also senior representatives from development organizations, partner agencies, and the federal government in attendance.

Ms. Farooq, who presided over the meeting, gave a heartfelt tribute to the frontline polio workers, recognizing their commitment in the face of enduring obstacles like denials, false information, and difficulties gaining access in high-risk areas.

“Our frontline employees are performing incredibly well in spite of the challenges. All stakeholders have had a chance to freely discuss and deliberate on the program’s challenges and devise workable solutions thanks to the NPMT,” she said.

She expressed concern about the changing epidemiological trends and pointed out that while there are still significant obstacles to overcome, significant advancements have been made in areas like risk communication, campaign performance, and quality surveillance.

She urged all parties involved, including government agencies and foreign partners, to collaborate and work with renewed vigor.

“We’ll take a different approach this year. To reach every child who has been overlooked and end polio permanently, unconventional approaches must be used, she said.

In order to guarantee positive results and a long-lasting effect, Ms. Farooq emphasized the significance of the pre-campaign stage of Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs).

She also referred to the expanding collaboration between the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) as a crucial component of eradicating polio.

Speaking to particular regional issues, she asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) team to step up efforts to get past security-related obstacles, especially in south KP, which continues to be one of the program’s most difficult areas.

The focal person warned stakeholders against ignoring other areas that seem stable at the moment while continuing to concentrate on traditional polio hotspots and virus reservoirs.

“We have to continue to accelerate in every region of the nation. Working as a single, cohesive team is the only way to succeed,” she emphasized.

Ms. Farooq also considered the nation’s past successes, which had brought Pakistan very close to eliminating polio. She exhorted everyone to draw lessons from the past, fill in the gaps, and get over the last obstacle.

To guarantee effectiveness and credibility, she urged meaningful and transparent accountability at all levels. She urged the program to maximize current resources and enhance coordination between partners and government departments, while acknowledging the reality of resource constraints.

In her closing remarks, she praised the tireless work of provincial coordinators and their teams, honored polio workers nationwide, and recognized the program’s unsung heroes, including law enforcement personnel, for providing security and access in challenging areas.

Along with Afghanistan, Pakistan is one of just two nations in the world where the spread of the wild poliovirus has never been stopped. But thanks to the unwavering efforts of frontline workers, community mobilizers, and the backing of the government and foreign partners, the nation has made notable progress in lowering the number of polio cases.

Published in Daily Pak, August 9th, 2025