CS stresses coordinated polio eradication efforts

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Shehzad Khan Bangash has stressed upon all line departments to continue efforts for polio eradication to sustain the hard-earned gains made in the war against the crippling disease.

He stated this at a Provincial Task Force meeting on polio at Cabinet Room of Civil Secretariat, Peshawar, here Tuesday, said a handout.

Shehzad Bangash underscored the need for improved coordination and directed all the line departments to bridge the coordination gaps and work dedicatedly for polio eradication and better health services in their respective districts.

He said that a tangible progress had been made in the war against polio with no case of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in the province and negative environmental samples, indicating that virus circulation had stopped in the high-risk districts of the province.

“It was due to tireless efforts of the frontline workers, guidance and ownership of the government that no wild polio virus case has been reported from the province for more than a year now,” he added.

“Negligence will not be tolerated as it may lead us back to the outbreak situation,” he said and directed all the stakeholders to work with the same dedication to help the country steer out of the menace for good.

The top provincial bureaucrat was also briefed on the upcoming outbreak response campaign planned in six districts of Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions from March 14 to March 18, 2022.