First day in office: New commissioner takes up anti-polio efforts with EOC officials

Karachi

In an apparent show of commitment towards polio eradication, newly-appointed Karachi Commissioner Syed Asif Hyder Shah visited the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Polio in Sindh on his first day in office to inquire about the efforts being made about the upcoming vaccination drive in Karachi and the steps planned for rest of the year.

During his visit to the EOC Sindh, Syed Asif Hyder Shah met Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, the chairperson of EOC Sindh; Dr Muhammad Usman Chachar, coordinator EOC Sindh; Shahnaz Wazir Ali, technical coordinator; Dr Ahmad Ali Shaikh, technical focal person of EOC Sindh; along and representatives of the UNICEF and WHO.

On the occasion, the commissioner said he will assumed the chairmanship of Karachi Task Force for Polio and will do everything he can to eliminate polio virus from the city. He said he was not doing it just as part of his official duties but as a moral obligation.

The new commissioner is known for his hands-on approach and was instrumental in the success of polio programme in Hyderabad where he presided over daily evening meetings and could also be spotted in the field, identifying problems while also solving them.

His role as DCO Sanghar and Commissioner Larkana have also been similarly positive.

The EOC coordinator for Sindh, Dr Usman Chachar, briefed the commissioner about the polio current situation in Karachi and said there had been 70 percent reduction in polio cases, with 23 cases in 2014 to just seven in 2015. He said all the cases reported in Karachi were in October, and there had been no cases before that.

“We are hoping our hard work will pay off and we can move towards zero number of polio cases,” Dr Chachar said, adding that the overall law and order situation and security detail provided to vaccinators had improved and there was also a significant decreased in the number missed children.

Dr Chachar praised the gesture of the commissioner to come visit the EOC on his first day in office and said this demonstrated his commitment to the cause.

Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah said eradication of polio was his top priority since he had joined the service. “We will definitely take the challenge on and make improvements in the current set up. I already have ideas about addressing the shortcomings and improving the processes. I understand rural Sindh is different and Karachi has a different set of challenges, but with hard work we will be able to address the problems,” he said.

Taking advantage of the occasion, the stakeholders also decided to immediately monitor the progress of the Karachi Action Plan, ensure adequate preparation and also strong accountability of polio campaigns for success.

It also surfaced during the meeting that the Commissioner House has an active helpline for polio and anyone could call on it to lodge a complaint if vaccinators or health teams were not reaching their houses while also giving relevant information.

The next vaccination campaign in Sindh will be held from 11th January to 16th January, including all 188 union councils of Karachi besides the 934 union councils in interior of Sindh, with a total target of immunising 8.2 million children and 2.1 million in Sindh and Karachi, respectively.