The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed today to send a high-level team to Bihar to help the state government in tackling polio and kala azar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said.
After interacting with Bill Gates through video conferencing for over 35 minutes, Nitish said the discussion mainly revolved around how the Foundation could support the state to eliminate the deadly diseases. “It was challenging to vaccinate every child in the Kosi river embankment area. We cannot let the polio eradication effort stall. We are ready to work with your government and all partners in the polio eradication programme in Bihar,” Gates told Nitish Kumar. Gates praised the state government for its achievements in health programmes, including significant improvement in childhood routine immunisation. Kumar said they were encouraged that a person of international eminence and commitment to human development like Gates was exploring how the foundation could partner with Bihar for improvement in critical areas of public health. AGENCIES
