Newborns’ immunisation mandatory, says IPH Dean

LAHORE:The Institute of Public Health (IPH), Lahore, Dean Prof Dr Zarfishan Tahir has said that taking good care of the health of newborn through completion of early childhood immunisation course is as important as parents worrying about the good education of their grown up children. ‘The completion of the immunisation course is mandatory to ensure a healthy future for the children,’ she said while inaugurating the Model EPI Vaccination Centre established in the institute with the support of Unicef.

Dr Rabia Islam, head of the Department of Mother and Child Health and other faculty members were also present. Dr Rabia informed that prenatal and postnatal medical care for pregnant women was being extended and medicines were also being provided to the patients free of charge.

Dr Zarfishan said that in the vaccination centre established in the institute, with the support of Unicef and WHO, children from birth to 15 months of age are vaccinated against 12 common diseases free of charge, including polio, pneumonia, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, hepatitis B and other diseases. She said that this centre established in IPH is providing the facility of immunisation for their children to the residents of the catchment area of Data Ganj Bakhsh Town. She thanked Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan and senior officials for providing medicines.

Dr Zarfishan Tahir said that as a nation it is a matter of great concern that we have not yet been able to eliminate polio from our country. There is a requirement to drink the drops and for this a certificate of polio vaccination has to be presented in the travel documents, this facility is also being provided by the Model EPI Centre established in the Institute of Public Health.

She said that the purpose of publicity of the immunisation centre through the media was to make people aware of this facility and to highlight their sense of responsibility regarding the healthy future of their children so that they can protect their children from life-long disability and other deadly diseases by completing the immunisation course.