Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — At the invitation of Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel, Pakistan’s Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and Afghanistan’s Health Minister Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali held a bilateral meeting to discuss joint efforts to eradicate polio in high-risk areas.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, was attended by Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean, and Chris Elias, Vice President of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan to eliminate polio and address challenges hindering vaccination campaigns, while strengthening overall public health collaboration.

Both ministers thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the meeting and praised its leadership in supporting the global health agenda.

They reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to continue joint efforts to eradicate polio, coordinate future vaccination drives, and raise public awareness to improve immunization rates in high-risk regions.

Al-Jalajel reiterated Saudi Arabia’s continued commitment to supporting global efforts to eliminate polio worldwide.