CS directs officials to ensure quality campaigns for polio eradication

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz has shown confidence in the divisional and district administrations to eradicate polio virus from the respective regions and directed commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure that the District Polio Control Rooms (DPCRs) are optimally functional and provide the required stewardship to the field staff.

After taking charge of his new responsibility as chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he chaired his maiden meeting on Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) here Monday.

Chairperson Provincial Standing Committee on Health, MPA Dr Sumaira Shams, Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, Secretary Population Welfare Department, Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education KP Secretary Information, Special Secretary Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, CCPO Peshawar, all divisional commissioners, national and provincial EOC coordinator, deputy commissioners, Director EPI, Dr Saleem, Team Leads UNICEF, Team Leads WHO, representatives of BMGF, Team Leads N Stop were also present on the occasion.

“Highest quality campaigns hold the key to success and there shall be no negligence in achieving quality campaigns,” the chief secretary.

He directed the Health Department to include salary increase of frontline workers in the PC-1, saying that providing conducive environment and good remuneration to the frontline workers is the prime responsibility of the government and it should be implemented before the December round of anti-polio drive.

The senior official underscored the need for robust essential immunisation plan in the province with specific focus on under- performing districts and urgent expansion of functional EPI centres in the province.

“Enriching polio programme with other health and nutrition services in super high risk UCs should be expedited,” said chief secretary and directed health department to spearhead this in coordination with EOC.

Moreover, he directed the secretaries Information, Secondary and Elementary Education, Social Welfare and Population Department, Local Government and other line departments to ensure full support to the Polio Eradication Initiative by engaging provincial and district level staff in the campaigns.

The chief secretary also directed secretary Home and Tribal Affairs to ensure foolproof security to the health workers, adding that he would personally supervise polio campaigns for effective and result oriented drives.

Earlier, coordinator EOC Abdul Basit briefed the chair and forum on the current status of polio in the province, challenges, strategies and way forward.

He said that case response had been planned in four districts Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Kolai Palas and Torghar districts of the province from November 18, next with a view to stop virus circulation in the region and boost low immunity of children.

“Sensitisation of the community on the importance of polio and other vaccine preventable diseases is the need of the hour,” he said, adding that high quality campaigns in the low transmission season will help stop virus circulation in environment and bring down the number of polio cases. The government has been struggling to get rid of polio but all efforts have failed as Pakistan this year reported 80 polio cases in which 59 cases were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief secretary will need to take strict measures to ensure accountability of the people occupying key positions if he wanted Pakistan to become a polio-free country. Also, he will have to appoint right person for the right job and stop political interference in the polio programme.