The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) recently issued its latest report titled ‘The Glass Mountain’, highlighting global health efforts impacted by geopolitical shifts — a major one being the US withdrawal from WHO and the subsequent termination of USAID. While the report indicates that decisions grossly impacted polio eradication efforts, it also pinpoints Pakistan’s systemic incohesion in producing results, taking ownership of the issue, optimising resources and utilising cross-organisational collaboration.
For the success of any long-term goal, it is sensible to consistently re-evaluate and, if needed, restructure the plan of action based on short-term results. If mere consistency in immunisation efforts is not bringing down the number of cases, then it is necessary for the government to inculcate broader steps for protection.
IMB has now suggested shifting responsibility for eradicating poliovirus in Pakistan and Afghanistan away from host countries and towards the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional (EMRO) Ministerial Polio Subcommittee. This decision is bound to benefit Pakistan in the longer run, both fiscally and socially. To be rid of polio once and for all should be the government’s top-priority, and it also signals to the public that their health matters. Alongside, Pakistan must prioritise honest and accountable reporting, strengthen its coordination and restore the trust of larger structures that have tasked it with this goal.