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Friday March 29, 2024

Anti-polio campaign kicks off

By our correspondents
May 16, 2017

LAHORE

Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Kh Imran Nazir has said that joint and consolidated efforts are required to eliminate diseases from country and all the stakeholders should work together for this cause without indulging in politics or provincialism. Eradication of polio is the government top priority for which Punjab province is endeavouring to achieve this goal.

“Punjab remained polio-free during 2016; however, one case of polio has been reported in the current year due to that five-day anti-polio campaign has been launched in Punjab from Monday to Friday,” he said while talking to reporters at Children’s Hospital after inaugurating the polio eradication campaign here on Monday.

Kh Imran Nazir inaugurated the five-day anti-polio campaign by administering polio vaccine drops to children. Medical Director Children Hospital Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathor said if a single polio case surfaced in any corner of the world it would be a threat to all the children.He informed the media that during five-day campaign 18.6 million children of below five years of age would be administered anti-polio vaccine drops for which primary and secondary health department has constituted 45,584 polio teams consisting of two members in each team. Out of them, 38,699 are mobile teams which would visit door to door for giving polio drops to the children, whereas, 4,480 fixed teams deputed in the hospitals and health facilities while 2,405 polio teams have been assigned duty to administer anti-polio vaccine drops to the children at the transit points coming from other provinces.

Responding to a question, Kh Imran Nazir said that security has been provided to the polio teams in the sensitive and tribal areas. Moreover, the chief secretary and IG Punjab had ordered that police should be high alert during the campaign and police patrolling has also been beefed up.

Kh Imran Nazir disclosed that polio virus of environmental samples in different districts is not indigenous and its similarity is identical to the virus prevailing in other parts of the country; therefore, other provincial governments should also launch intensive anti-polio campaigns with full political commitment so that the virus could be eliminated from Pakistan.

The minister appealed to the parents to ensure administering polio drops to their children. He said that parents should pay attention to their children's health and give importance to provide other necessities to them.

training: Punjab Food Authority has started training of food professionals. Inauguration of Punjab Food Authority training schools has been started phase-wise, while in first phase, training has started in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad simultaneously.

Level 1 training is about food transportation, safe food preparation, food taste, food hygiene and food safety laws. Punjab Food Authority DG Noor-ul-Amin Mengal and newly-appointed PFA Board Chairman Raza Hayat Heraj inaugurated Punjab Food Authority training school. On this occasion, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal said only food professionals will be allowed to deal in food profession. 

He said PFA schools are established in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Faisalabad. The very first day, 250 people from all the districts were trained. In each district, at least 300 food professionals have been registered. 

He said that in first phase, level 1 training is given. In level 1, waiters and bakery workers are being trained. Moreover, safe food preparation, food taste, food hygiene and food safety laws are the part of training. Smart card certification will be given to the successful candidates.

PR: Pakistan Railways is going to sign Fuel Transport Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan State Oil (PSO) soon which would increase fuel transportation activity of the railways. 

According to a press release on Monday, this was stated by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PR Muhammad Javed Anwar while chairing a meeting of Pakistan Railways and PSO officials. 

The FTA has been approved from the legal advisers so that both the departments/institute could work in their legal right.

PR was purchasing petroleum products worth Rs 15 billion from the PSO for its own consumption whereas it has also been transporting petroleum products of around Rs 4 billion.

TORTURED: Police subjected a murder accused to severe torture on the premises of a sessions court. Police said the accused had manhandled the police and tried to flee.