CM directs necessary steps to eradicate polio

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Friday directed all government departments to undertake necessary steps to eradicate polio from the region.

According to an official handout, he took notice of the issue and called a high-level meeting after a number of polio cases surfaced in the province.

Chief Secretary Saleem Khan, Member Provincial Assembly Ziaullah Bangash, Coordinator, Emergency Operation Centre, Kamran Ahmed Afridi, and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The chief minister said all-out efforts should be made to ensure access of the polio teams to every house in the province.

He directed the law-enforcing agencies and other relevant government departments to extend complete support to the polio programme during the anti-polio campaigns in the province.

Mahmood Khan stated communication efforts should be made keeping in view the local context and cultural sensitivities to address queries and doubts of the parents so that vaccination of every child could be made possible in every campaign.

The chief minister was briefed on the prevailing situation of the polio programme, challenges, way forward and the support needed.

The EOC coordinator briefed the forum on the ongoing case response campaign conducted in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Shangla, Buner and Torghar districts.

The participants were informed that 24 polio cases have been reported in the country this year so far. It was said out of these, 18 were from various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Eight polio cases were from Bannu one each from Hangu, Dera Ismail Khan, Shangla, Bajaur, Khyber and five from North Waziristan.

Mahmood Khan appealed to parents to cooperate by rejecting propaganda and getting children vaccinated. He requested elders, maliks and community leaders to come forth and play a role in persuading parents caregivers in this regard. The chief minister stated that the failure in eradication polio would ultimately lead to restrictions like facing international travel bans, damaging national pride and return of Pakistanis working abroad.