The head of Pakistan’s polio eradication program, Dr. Shahzad Asif Baig, resigned from his position on Friday, citing “personal reasons.”
Dr. Baig’s resignation comes amid a resurgence of the virus, with three cases already reported in 2024. Although Dr. Baig, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, stated he was stepping down for personal reasons, official sources indicated that the government had already decided to replace him.
In his resignation, Dr. Baig expressed gratitude to frontline health workers and his family. “I am proud that during my tenure, Pakistan achieved the significant objective of stopping the transmission of the endogenous poliovirus. I have no doubt that under the leadership of the new Coordinator, Pakistan will achieve the next goal of interrupting all polioviruses,” he said.
Dr. Baig’s performance has come under scrutiny due to the worsening polio situation. Despite being included in Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in Health’ list last month for his efforts to eradicate polio, the first five months of 2024 have seen more environmental samples testing positive for the virus than in the entire previous year.
A recent stakeholder meeting revealed that the poliovirus situation in Pakistan is worse than in Afghanistan. During the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting in Doha from May 22 to May 25, it was reported that 44 districts in Pakistan have been affected by the virus since the group’s last meeting in June 2023.
Last month, Dr. Baig was also reprimanded by the federal health ministry for his “inappropriate behavior” during an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council meeting, where he questioned the forum’s powers. The ministry’s letter stated, “The inappropriate behavior exhibited by you [the NEOC national coordinator] is both unacceptable and unprofessional.”
