The Punjab Emergency Operation Center (EOC) announced Pakistan’s leading tennis player Ushna Suhail as Youth Ambassador for Child Health here in the Directorate General Health Services on Wednesday.
The announcement was made in the provincial EOC in a meeting presided over by Punjab Director General Health Services Dr Syed Mukhtar Hussain who awarded the certificate to the player. The EOC is a joint platform of provincial health department and international development partners.
Ushna Suhail, who is the first Pakistani player to have achieved WTA World ranking since 2014 and won two bronze medals for Pakistan in the 12th South Asian Games in India recently, will serve as Youth Ambassador for Child Health by promoting awareness on polio and routine immunization. She has represented Pakistan in Fed Cup consecutively for five years (2011-2015) and has won the most number of singles and doubles matches for Pakistan. She also became the first woman to represent the country in Asian Games, in September 2014. She has won Monty Tour Spanish Tennis Tournament title in Barcelona and is also recipient of Prime Minister’s Certificate of Excellence and Chief Minister’s Award for her tennis related services at national and international competitions, to the nation. She received training at Kim Clijsters Academy in Belgium, Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in India and Asian Tennis Academy in Bangkok.
Director General Health Services Punjab Dr. Syed Mukhtar Hussain Syed said polio had sent a negative image of the country and hence was declared a national emergency. He said, given the scale of polio as a national problem, the health department needed support from all national figures. He thanked Ushna Suhail for coming forward for immunization and polio eradication.
Ushna Suhail said she was honored to have been provided with the opportunity to serve her nation. “This is a great honour for me and I will do my best to carry the message of immunization across to all parents. As a role model for children, our future sports’ figures, I have an obligation to care for their health, which I will always do, voluntarily,” she said.
Ushna later visited the Government Girls School Ichra.
