‘Security key for success of anti-polio efforts’

Karachi

Sindh Chief Secretary Siddique Memon remarked on Thursday that the fight against polio now largely depended on the availability of security detail to vaccinators and directed Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Mahar to pay special attention to the matter and liaise closely with newly-appointed Karachi Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Karachi Task Force for Polio Eradication at his office, with the attendance of the body’s chairman Commissioner Karachi Syed Asif Hyder Shah and health secretary Dr Saeed Mangnejo.

Other attendees included WHO representative in Pakistan Dr Michel Thieren, EOC Sindh team lead Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, EOC Sindh coordinator Dr Muhammad Usman Chachar, national technical consultant Dr Altaf Bossan, EOC Sindh technical coordinator Shahnaz Wazir Ali, technical focal person Sindh Dr Ahmad Ali Shaikh, besides team members from Unicef and WHO with Chairman National Polio Plus Committee Aziz Memon and Rotary representatives.  

The chief secretary maintained that polio eradication efforts were being monitored closely by the office of the prime minister and there was a need to pull full force in the upcoming campaigns.

He welcomed the new Karachi Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah and directed all deputy commissioners to fully cooperate with him.

The chief secretary announced that from now on all revenue officials will also play an active part in polio-eradication efforts, as per the directives of the new commissioner.

Sindh EOC coordinator Dr Usman Chachar said the role of deputy commissioners needed to be formally incorporated in the anti-polio efforts.

He also called for strict implementation of SOPs to cover missed children, saying previously the campaign took place in two phases but now with cooperation and commitment from the police department the upcoming vaccination drive will be held in one go across Karachi.

Dr Azra Afzal Pechuho said previously the polio teams comprised of non locals, who used to come from other areas to conduct vaccination. But now, she said, people of the areas had been hired in every locality to cover maximum number of children. “This issue has now been addressed as only local teams are being kept for polio eradication,” she said. “Town Health Officers must support the teams.”

Additional chief secretary of home department Muhammad Waseem said evening meetings are extremely necessary during the vaccination drives to review the situation at the end of each day and stressed that they must held regularly. The deputy commissioners should be directed by commissioner to personally attend these meetings, he added.

Commissioner Karachi Syed Asif Hyder Shah emphasised that his first official visit was to the EOC Sindh, saying eradication of the crippling disease was his top priority. “Karachi’s dynamics are different, especially in terms of security, but I’m hopeful that we can achieve better results.”