Dr Shahzad Baig, the national coordinator of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, has been included in the list of 100 world leaders in the field of health by Time magazine, bringing honor to the healthcare community in the South Asian nation.
Featured in the 'TIME100 HEALTH' as one of the most influential people in the field, Dr. Baig gets much-needed recognition for his leadership and efforts to end polio in the country, making the honour a significant achievement for Pakistan globally.
Before leading anti-polio efforts in Pakistan, Dr. Baig served as a technical advisor for Nigeria’s successful polio eradication initiative, which resulted in the African nation being declared polio-free in 2020. Time magazine asserts that under Dr. Baig’s leadership, Pakistan is poised to become the next polio-free nation.
Jeffrey Kluger, editor at large of Time magazine, penned Dr. Baig’s profile, noting the remarkable decline in polio cases since he assumed his position.
In 2019, polio caused disabilities or deaths in 147 people in Pakistan, but by 2023, only six children were affected.
Kluger praises Dr. Baig’s efforts to reduce this number to zero by 2026.
Despite challenges such as extremist attacks on polio workers and propaganda against vaccination, Dr. Baig has led the deployment of 400,000 vaccinators and 80,000 security personnel to inoculate over 90 million children in Pakistan in the current year alone, with an additional 24 million targeted in a springtime vaccination campaign.
"His inclusion in this esteemed list is a testament to his dedication to the mission of Polio eradication from Pakistan!" stated the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme on its Instagram profile.