GUJRANWALA:
As many as 771,601 children under the age of five years were immunised against polio in Gujranwala during the two phases of National Anti-Polio Campaign in July, according to the statistics compiled by the Health Department.
The number of children covered in the campaign from July 9 to 11 and from July 16 to 18 is 42,225 more than the target set by the district administration at the start of the campaign. The original target was 729,376.
Vaccination had also continued in the district on July 12 and 13 and July 19 and 20 to cover the children left out of the two three-day campaigns.
The door-to-door campaign was undertaken by 1,441 mobile teams. Another 47 teams administered polio vaccines to children at several entrance and exit points, railway stations, bus stands, toll plazas and markets.
Executive District Officer (health) Dr Azhar Masood Bhatti said meetings were held everyday to review progress in the campaign. The meetings were attended by all district officers (health); deputy district officers (health); district support persons of the WHO, town campaign support persons, district coordinators of national programme for family planning and basic healthcare, district superintendent (vaccination) and all zonal superintendents.
As many as 17 Health Department officials were suspended from duties and two lady health workers sacked for poor performance in the campaign.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2012.
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