Saira reports ‘tremendous turnaround’ in polio situation

Briefs NA committee on recent developments in polio programme

Islamabad

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Government Assurances, in its meeting held in the Parliament House on Tuesday, appreciated the polio eradication programme for its “tremendous turnaround in the polio situation despite persistent challenges on many fronts.”

The appreciation came in the wake of a briefing on recent developments in the programme, given to the Committee by Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal. Discussing the accessibility issue, Saira said, Operation Zarb-e-Azb has enabled vaccination of a large number of unreached children. “Pakistan has made a tremendous turnaround in 2015 which is being highly appreciated by all international bodies. The country is now on track to interrupt poliovirus transmission. We will need to maintain this status for another three years to achieve eradication certificate in 2019 in accordance with the global target,” she said. 

Saira informed that 97% of the ‘recorded missed’ children were covered during January and March NIDs and the proportion of still refusals have also dropped down to 0.05% of the total targeted children.

“The progress made towards the target of interrupting poliovirus transmission is evident from more than 82% reduction in polio cases in 2015 (306) over 2014 (54). Although we have identified eight polio cases during 2016, but in terms of point in time comparison with 2015 when we had reported 23 cases, we have already witnessed a decline of more than 65 percent,” Saira stated. 

The committee members were told that the daily incentive of frontline workers has been raised from Rs250 to 400, and that a top-up of Rs250 per day from provincial resources is also being encouraged. 

Saira stated that the polio programme has now come to a stage where the remaining gaps are being identified and addressed on real-time basis. “The entire government apparatus is fully and actively supporting to interrupt virus transmission in 2016,” she concluded.