Dr Yasmin Rashid renews pledge to make country polio-free

LAHORE : Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid renewed the pledge to make Pakistan polio-free.

She was addressing a video link meeting of the International Monitoring Board for Polio Eradication which she joined at the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department here Wednesday. Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Captain (r) Usman Younis, Secretary Health South Punjab Ajmal Bhatti, Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre Sundas Irshad and Director Expanded Programme on Immunisation Dr Bashir Ahmed were present on the occasion.

Key representatives from Pakistan joining via video link included Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Faisal Sultan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, Sindh Health Minister Azra Afzal Pechuhu, Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch, IMB’s Liam Donaldson, provincial health secretaries, EOC Coordinators and Directors EPI from all provinces.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the government was committed to eradicate polio from country under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and bringing all stakeholders on a single platform was a great effort, she added. The minister said that the polio eradication campaign was being carried out in the province in which all children of under-five age would be administered polio vaccine. She said that all public sector hospitals had been directed to issue birth registration only after ensuring immunisation that is conducted as per WHO SOPs. We are determined to battle the second wave of corona as well as eradicate polio, she added.

Elaborating further, the minister said the government had hired record number of vaccinators in a short span of time and the hiring process had been completed on 50 percent vacant positions. All vaccinators have been given PPE.

She said the micro plans had been adopted for routine immunisation. The EPI programme is being administratively monitored at nine divisions of Punjab. The government’s special focus is on Lahore and Dera Ghazi Khan and latest technology was being used to cover each and every child in these two cities. Monitoring has been enhanced in all districts, she added. Urging people to cooperate with polio teams, the minister said if efforts continued with enhanced commitment, Pakistan would be able to eradicate polio very soon.