Women polio workers ride into the field

The workers make their own investment to purchase the bikes

MULTAN:  

Defying all the odds, women polio workers took the unprecedented step of riding their motorcycles into the field to vaccinate children for the three-day polio drive which ended on Thursday.

These determined ladies not only introduced the idea to the Multan district government, but also made an investment by purchasing their own motorcycles.

Talking to The Express Tribune Sumaira Naureen, a part of the drive, says the district government fully supports the idea of launching anti-polio drives on motorbikes. "Our family supported our decisions. I have learnt how to ride a motorcycle and my brother helped me get a license."

Similarly, Shamshad Bibi, another polio worker, reveals she and some of her other colleagues decided to buy their own motorbikes to achieve the target set for vaccination in the minimum possible time.

"It is not easy to walk door-to-door during the campaign. It is not only time consuming, but also requires a lot of energy. Therefore, riding on motorcycles helped us immensely and we are happy that we achieved our target."

However, their methods did raise a few eyebrows. "We had to face a lot of issues while working on the motorcycles because people looked at us as we are aliens," shares polio worker Fatima Kanwal.

She adds that in rural areas of Multan, it was difficult for people to accept women working and riding on motorcycles. "We had to ignore the negative comments so that we can focus on work."

Multan District Health Authority CEO Dr Munawwar Abbas appreciated all the female polio workers who went into the field on motorbikes to administer polio drops to children in far-flung areas. "The district government has been monitoring the campaign on a regular basis and reports have been presented to the Multan deputy commissioner."

District Monitoring Officer Nasir Shahzad Dogar says that in the recent campaign, all those children, who were missed in last month’s campaign, were inoculated. He continues that polio is the biggest challenge for Pakistan and all the teams, especially the women workers, have been performing their duties efficiently and diligently. "The idea to use motorcycles for the drive deserves appreciation."

Multan District Polio Campaign Focal Person Dr Attaur Rehman points out that 2,195 teams were formed for the campaign. DC Mudassir Riyaz warns strict action will be taken against those parents who refused polio vaccination for their children.

He adds police security was provided to female polio workers and all the precautionary measures were taken for the safety of workers. He tells The Express Tribune that on the first day of the campaign, 287,655 children were administered drops. During the three-day campaign, a total of 862,965 were administered drops.

The polio campaign, which kicked off on December 10, concluded on December 13. During the drive, over 0.8million children, under the age of five, were administered polio drops. However, the follow up campaign to reach the children left out will end on December 15 (tomorrow).