Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to review the arrangements made for the launch of the measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the city.
Besides officials from relevant departments, representatives of Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI), Unicef, and the World Health Organization (WHO), who specially came to Pakistan to participate in the launch of the campaign, also attended the meeting.
They briefed the commissioner about the importance of vaccination to protect children against measles and rubella viruses. The international partners are providing technical support to the government.
Sindh Health Department Director General Dr Juman Bahoto briefed the commissioner about the arrangements of MR vaccination campaign, scheduled from November 15 to 27.
It was decided at the meeting that the deputy commissioners’ polio control rooms would be used for the campaign.
The commissioner asked DCs to hold consultation meetings every day before the start of the campaign and also review the performance of teams on a daily basis.
The commissioner appealed to parents to get their children vaccinated to ensure their healthy and successful lives.
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Meanwhike, a delegation of WHO, UNICEF and GAVI representatives called on Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah at his office on Wednesday.
Sindh Health Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Siraj Soomro, College Education Secretary Syed Khalid Haider Shah, Curriculum Additional Secretary Dr Fauzia Khan, General Private Institutions Director Mansoob Siddiqui and relevant officers of the health department were present on the occasion.
Qasim Siraj Soomro briefed the participants of the meeting that the delegations of WHO and UNICEF are aware of the steps taken by the Sindh government on the issue of measles and rubella. He said that the health department would vaccinate children aged nine months to 15 years of age from November 15 to November 27.
“Since about 50% of the children are in school, we need the support of the education department in this regard,” Soomro said.
Addressing the meeting on the occasion, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah welcomed all the visiting delegations and said that the education department was with the Health Department for the anti-measles and rubella vaccination campaign.
He directed officers of the department of education, the education secretary, and the private institutions DG to vaccinate all students of public and private schools against measles and rubella. He urged taking all the associations of private institutions on board.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2021.
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