World Health Organisation Representative in Pakistan Dr. Michel Thieren said priority given to Sustainable Development Goal-III in Vision-2025 by the present government will improve health indicators in Pakistan.
In an interview with Radio Pakistan, he said the economic indicators in Pakistan are encouraging, and that focus will be laid on child mortality, tuberculosis, and malaria so that lives of the poor could be saved.
He assured WHO’s technical support to Pakistan in combating communicable and non-communicable diseases and ensuring child and public health.
The WHO representative said peace is imperative for achieving SDGs in the country.
He said all the stakeholders, including the government, civil society, and the non-governmental organisations need to play their due role to achieve the SDGs.
Michel Thieren said WHO is pursuing the principle that no one is unreachable. He paid tribute to the vaccinators, who died in the line of their duty to administer anti-polio drops to children in the tribal area.
Speaking in the programme, SDG-III Focal Person in Pakistan Dr. Lamia Mahmoud said the lady health workers are playing an important role to prevent diseases particularly in the far flung areas of Pakistan.
Explaining SDGs, she said they are aimed at achieving five Ps — planet, peace, people, prosperity, and partnership. She said SDG-III, which relates to universal health coverage, has to be achieved in Pakistan by 2030.
