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New York, 26 September, 2018
At the UN, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s firm commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and said that the Government of Pakistan remained fully committed to the endemic of TB by 2030.
Speaking at the High- Level event on the Fight against Tuberculosis, Foreign Minister Qureshi appreciated the efforts and progress made by the World Health Organization. He stressed the importance of fighting the epidemic of Tuberculosis, which still accounts for over four and a half thousand deaths every day. He said that this epidemic was pervasive in lower income and middle-income countries.
“Mostly affecting adults in their most productive years, this disease not only brings personal tragedy to the families but also places a heavy burden on the world’s most poor and vulnerable”, he added.
The Foreign Minister underlined that Pakistan was among the seven countries most affected by TB. By implementing Multiple Drug Resistant TB strategy, we have yielded positive results with a success rate of 65 percent, which is higher than average global success rate. He vowed that the government is fully committed to root out this epidemic by implementing End TB Strategy.
He concluded by expressing Pakistan’s commitment to earnestly work with members of the international community to prevent unnecessary deaths, lift people out of poverty, and make progress towards other sustainable goals.