Anbumani meets Bill gates

The co-chairs of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill gates and his father William Gates, called on Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss here on Tuesday. The senior members of the Foundation met the minister individually as well as in a Polio Round Table meeting. Wide-ranging issues from the health sector were discussed. Mr.Bill Gates was apprised of the stories made in key areas of polio, National Rural Health Mission, AIDS control and anti-tobacco efforts. In the Polio Round table, new initiatives taken by the government for complete eradication of polio were discussed. Describing the polio program of the nation as the biggest health program anywhere in the world, covering about 172 million children in one round, Dr. Ramadoss said the initiative had consistently accounted for more government funds in the annual budget than any other communicable disease program. The discussion also focused on high-risk regions and population at risk and intensified efforts to deal with the situation. Mr. Gates appreciated the work done by India in partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and expressed confidence that with additional tools to enhance current efforts, polio could be eradicated in India. The Polio Round Table was attended by senior officers of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and Planning Commission, senior members of the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation, United Nations Children's Fund and Rotary International.