EOC urges no leniency in polio fight

Training nears completion for immunisation days in 14 districts

LAHORE:

Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Coordinator Khizer Afzaal Chaudhary has called upon the district authorities not to show complacency towards polio eradication efforts and to treat it as a top priority.

The head of the polio programme in the province was speaking at a readiness meeting held on Wednesday in connection with sub-national immunisation days to be organised in 14 districts.

Children will receive police drops in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Khushab, Mianwali, Sialkot, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan districts during the campaign.

“Districts need to lay special focus on high-risk union councils. Especially Lahore needs to lay out laser focus plans in drainage high-risk union councils,” stressed the EOC coordinator.

The district teams informed the coordinator that they had almost achieved the training target. In some of the UCs, the final round of trainings is under way.

The coordinator instructed the districts to complete the trainings and micro-plans' validation on time.

“If trainings are not completed on time, the readiness status will be affected,” he underlined.

He said the district health authorities' chief executive officers (CEOs) were responsible for improvement in micro-plans.

"If planning is compromised, likelihood of polio outbreak is higher,” he cautioned.

“If micro-plans of a district are found to be flawed for two campaigns, the CEO will be held responsible.

The coordinator said Rawalpindi needed to pay special attention in this regard.

The provincial head of the polio programme called for vaccination of all children in flood-hit districts and stressed a strict monitoring plan to ensure that results were achieved.

“A lot of areas are still compromised in flood-affected districts. They need special attention. Floods have increased vulnerability of people in these districts. CEOs need to pay special attention in South Punjab districts where flood has affected a large number of people,” he pointed out.

The coordinator urged the deputy and assistant commissioners to conduct regular field visits during the campaign.

“DCs should go to the field along with the ACs," he added.

He reiterated that Lot Quality Assurance Sampling was the top benchmark to assess campaign quality. He said he would visit the districts to ensure the campaign was up to the mark.

“Polio vaccines are bought with government money. Districts should make sure that data on vaccines is entered and maintained. I will appreciate if an actual figure is given. I can arrange appreciation of districts that will share accurate data,” stressed the coordinator.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2022.