‘Strategy for immunisation coverage soon’

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir on Sunday said that Lahore and Rawalpindi must prepare locally customised strategies for immunisation coverage, especially polio.

According to a handout, chairing the monthly Chief Executive Officers (Health) meeting in the Directorate General Health Services Punjab, he said that based on risk analysis for the months of March and April, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock and Sargodha must finalise the preparations of measles mop up. For broader immunisation indicators, he directed Lahore and Rawalpindi to devise special strategies against challenges in these two cities.

Secretary PSH, Special Secretary Dr Faisal Zahoor, CEOs (H) of all districts, Chief Minister Roadmap team, PITB, Policy and Strategic Planning Unit, UNICEF, WHO and Programme Managers participated in the meeting.

The minister said: “Dengue seasonal alert response must be implemented with special focus on case surveillance, vector surveillance and case response as per notified SOPs”. Khawaja Imran Nazir said a mechanism was being put into place through which substandard medicines would be tracked down without troubling professional pharmacists and manufacturers.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Ali Jan Khan said the districts must submit their funds utilisation status (excess or surrender) in time, emphasising that judicious utilisation of funds by district health authorities will boost service delivery at grassroots level. The secretary said that dedicated hepatitis sentinel sites are being established in the province with specially trained staff. “The prevalence of Hepatitis B and C is high priority area for the government and we are responding accordingly,” the secretary said.

The meeting also reviewed the status of implementation of development schemes as well as human resource requirement in the province. The secretary also said that progress on bio-metric attendance had improved and said penalties and other disciplinary measures may be taken against staff not complying.

The Chief Minister Roadmap team presented analysis on Key Performance Indicators for Primary and Secondary Healthcare. The status of safe deliveries, MO presence, MO Posting, Consultant postings and janitorial services was reviewed through data analysis.