Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday called on Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva and reiterated his government’s commitment to put Pakistan’s economy back on track, state-run APP reported.

In the meeting held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Saudi Arabia, the prime minister said that he had directed his financial team, led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to carry out structural reforms, ensure strict fiscal discipline and pursue prudent policies that would ensure macro-economic stability and sustained economic growth, according to a PM Office press release.

He thanked Georgieva for supporting Pakistan in securing the $3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) from IMF last year that was about to be completed. The IMF Executive Board is expected to meet on April 29 to decide on the final tranche of $1.1 billion under SBA.

The IMF chief appreciated the prime minister’s leadership for timely securing the SBA last year.

Both sides also discussed Pakistan entering into another IMF program to ensure that the gains made in the past year were consolidated and its economic growth trajectory remained positive.

IMF MD shared her institution’s perspective on the ongoing program with Pakistan, including the review process.

This was the first meeting between the prime minister and IMF MD since his re-election. They last met in Paris in June 2023 on the margins of the Summit for New Global Financial Pact.

PM Shehbaz also extended an invitation to the IMF MD to visit Pakistan at her convenience.

Earlier, while addressing a panel of discussion on ‘Redefining Global Health Agenda’ during the special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Shehbaz highlighted “inequities in the global healthcare” and termed them as the “foremost problem”.

The prime minister said he was struck by a “nasty” cancer back in 2003 and he had to spend thousands of dollars from his pocket to undergo surgery in New York.

“And I wondered how many people in my country can afford this kind of expensive treatment,” the premier said, adding that when he later became the chief minister of Punjab he built hospitals specialising in treatment for kidney and liver diseases as well as cancer.

He emphasised that “first and foremost problem is global inequities” in healthcare, as Covid-19 exposed “imbalances and gaps hugely”.

“Imagine the global north and the global south; distribution of vaccines and so on and so forth,” he said.

The premier reached Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday to attend the two-day WEF’s Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy starting on April 28, 2024.

The invitation was extended by Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, the foreign office said earlier.

As per details, PM Shehbaz is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.