EPI to pay parents for vaccinating children in tribal districts

PESHAWAR: Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has decided to pay parents in the merged tribal districts for vaccinating their children against diseases.

The decision was taken to ensure every child gets vaccinated throughout the tribal districts, while for this purpose, fund has been allocated and released for all the children of merged areas under two years of age who will opt for routine vaccination, says a press release issued here on Saturday.

The parents will receive Rs200 per child in each visit till six visits as per the EPI schedule. This step has been taken to motivate parents and in turn to protect the children of merged areas from vaccine preventable diseases at the maximum and to reduce mortality and morbidity in children of the underdeveloped region. The merged areas EPI programme manager Dr Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid said that coverage of routine vaccination is much below the desired level due to recent temporary displacements and repatriation. As it is evident that the houses in merged areas are mostly scattered and away from the health facilities, this incentive will at least lessen their financial burden of transportation of children to the health facilities for vaccination.

“It will have a positive effect on the vaccination coverage on the one hand and reduction in mortality and morbidity on the other,” he added.

The programme manager said that it would bring a positive change in the behaviour of community at large and they will opt to vaccinate their children against the diseases.