As the polio immunisation campaign for November draws closer, the World Health Organisation has made over 100 union council polio officers (UCPOs) redundant in Sindh.
Dozens of these UCPOs staged a protest outside the Hyderabad Press Club on Saturday, demanding an extension in their contractual service.
“Our absence from the upcoming polio campaign will compromise the whole exercise,” said UCPO Sikandar Ali Shoro, arguing that without them, the district administration and local health authorities would be unable to achieve the desired results.
Hyderabad deputy commissioner (DC) Fuad Ghaffar Soomro had also raised the same issue through a letter addressed to the provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) last month.
“[The] reduction in the posts of UCPOs and PEOs is anticipated from the EOC, which will only augment the challenge of the polio virus immensely because the staff hasn’t only acted as whistle-blowers but also as frontline fighters in every campaign,” he had written.
Acknowledging the staff’s support, he dubbed them an invaluable asset in the fight against the crippling virus, pointing out that the district health department’s performance was far from satisfactory as far as the polio drive was concerned.
He reiterated that the polio immunisation campaigns would be weakened without the said staff and requested the authorities to retain the existing number of workers in Hyderabad.
According to the protesters, the UCPOs have been fired from 170 high-risk union councils in the province. “We not only provided crucial support to health authorities in the polio drives but also remained on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic,” asserted Shoro.
Muhammad Hassan, another UCPO at the protest, contended that polio cases and the existence of the virus in environmental samples remained challenges for the country. Without an adequate, dedicated team, there was a fear of further spread of the virus, he added.
The protesters warned that if their demand was not accepted, they would hold demonstrations outside the EOC and WHO offices.
On August 24, the UCPOs in Hyderabad had received letters, which conveyed that their employment contract for polio third party personnel would not be extended beyond September 30.
However, in a subsequent letter dated September 25, the staffers were given a month’s extension, until October 31.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2020.
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