EPI improvement verified by survey

LAHORE

Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Punjab, Ali Jan Khan, has said independent survey by a third-party has also verified significant improvement in routine immunisation coverage under Extended Programme for Immunization (EPI).

“Under Chief Minister Health Reforms Programme, special focus is being given to improvement of mother & child health and key indicators of primary healthcare and mother & child health is improving rapidly,” he said while chairing a meeting along with representative of Department for International Development (DFID), UK, Sir Michael Barber, according to a handout issued on Thursday. Besides, the team members of DFID, Director General Health Punjab Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed, Special Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Dr Faisal Zahoor, senior officers of the department, Provincial Head TRF Plus Dr Anwar Janjua, Director Policy and Strategic Planning Unit Muhammad Khan Ranjha and members of chief minister’s Health Roadmap Team were present in the meeting.

Ali Jan Khan said that EPI has evolved a new strategy through which special focus would be given on the pockets of low coverage of immunisation in deferent areas and this work would be started from Southern Punjab. He said pregnant women and infants would be the target for ensuring immunisation.

He said that primary and secondary health department has chalked out a plan for the improvement of EPI coverage in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Districts.

Moreover, Integrated, Reproductive, Mother, Newborn Child Health (IRMNCH) is working to introduce referral system from 700 BHUs under 24/7 programme to Rural Health Centers for shifting of serious patients. IRMNCH is also piloting a programme in few districts for improvement in data reporting system of deliveries. For this purpose android based real time system is being introduced.

The secretary health said the department would introduced three vaccines in 2017, Rota Virus, DPT Booster Doze for 4-5 year children and hepatitis-B birth doze for newly born babies. Whereas, measles, rubella (MR) vaccine would be introduced in 2018 and TD vaccine for pregnant women would be included in the EPI programme in 2019. He said this programme would cost Rs 1.7697,00000 to the provincial exchequer.