Anti-polio drive: Govt to merge polio, other immunisation programmes

Donors analyse programmes, suggest certain improvements

ISLAMABAD: The government has announced its plans to merge the national polio eradication programme with the routine immunisation programme in the coming months.

“Strengthening routine immunisation will be our primary agenda in the upcoming Prime Minister’s Focus Group Meeting,” said National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSRC) Minister Saira Afzal Tarar in an Interagency Coordination Committee (ICC) meeting.

Earlier, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) National Programme Manager Dr Saqlain Ahmed Gilani briefed the ICC members on the objectives and recommendations of the Joint Appraisal Mission (JAM), whose team is currently visiting the country to review the federal and provincial EPI programmes.

Gilani told the meeting that the main objective of the visit is to review, analyse, and identify challenges within the immunisation programme, and to strategise recommendations for improvement. The mission visited all four provinces and held meetings with all relevant stakeholders.

JAM comprises of international health experts from development partner agencies, including Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID).

It stressed that the federal and provincial EPI departments create and finalise annual work plans to evaluate progress in a systemic way. Highlighting the need to improve synergy between EPI and the polio eradication campaigns, they recommended strengthening the link and interaction between EPI and the provincial programme for joint planning, implementation and improvement of routine immunisation services in the country. Engagement with different communities and context-specific innovations were also underscored as priorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.