At the invitation of Minister of Health, H.E. Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel, a bilateral meeting was held between Pakistan’s Minister of Health, Mustafa Kamal, and Afghanistan’s Minister of Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali.
The meeting, convened on the sidelines of the Global Health Exhibition, discussed ways to strengthen joint efforts to eradicate polio in the most affected areas. The participants also emphasized the importance of continued cooperation to enhance health outcomes and overcome challenges facing global polio eradication campaigns.
The session was attended by Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Both ministers expressed their gratitude to the Kingdom for hosting the meeting and for its leading role in advancing the global health agenda. They reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to intensifying joint efforts to eliminate polio, improve coordination of vaccination and awareness campaigns in high-risk regions, and further integrate polio vaccines within national immunization programs.
The Minister affirmed that the Kingdom remains steadfast in supporting global efforts to eradicate polio, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian leadership and commitment to improving global health and quality of life.