KARACHI: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has named Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person on polio, as the country’s first “Gender Champion” for promoting gender equality and women empowerment in public health, Pakistan’s national polio program said on Wednesday.
The GPEI’s Gender Equality Strategy, launched in 2019, aims to address gender-related barriers to immunization, ensure women’s representation at all levels and advance gender equality as a cornerstone of health equity.
Farooq has led efforts to eradicate poliovirus in Pakistan, with the country reporting 30 cases of the disease this year, mostly from its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Pakistan is one of the only two nations where the disease remains endemic.
“For me, the fight against polio is not only about protecting children’s health, it’s about equity, opportunity and empowerment,” Farooq was quoted as saying by the national polio program in a statement.
“Every day, I see how women are the true drivers of this mission: leading vaccination teams, breaking barriers in their communities and carrying the hope of a healthier future,” she added.
