Govt to recruit more LHWs to combat polio

Around 3,500 workers to be recruited in eight high-risk districts

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has decided to recruit more lady heath workers (LHW) in eight high-risk districts in order to effectively combat polio virus.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that the government has decided to recruit LHWs in Peshawar, Mardan, Tank, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan, South and North Waziristan.

“These eight districts are high-risk areas in terms of surfacing of new cases and a decision has been made to recruit new LHWs to further boost the process of anti-polio vaccination,” said an official, adding that these newly recruited LHWs would be given the task to vaccinate more and more children.

“They would be employed to increase immunization coverage in the districts mentioned above,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that the LHWs coverage in the newly merged tribal districts is 21 per cent and in the settled districts it stands at 58 per cent. As per the new plan, it would be increased to at least 80 per cent.

“The government plans to recruit 3,500 new LHWs and their official duty will also be increased to enhance the immunization coverage,” said another official, adding that master trainers have also been trained with the help of UNICEF.

All the LHW vacancies would be advertised and all the formalities would be completed in this regard within two months.

Official sources said that in the first phase LHWs would be recruited in the tribal districts on priority basis and Rs500 million had already been allocated for the purpose.

“The health indicators would be linked with LHWs in all the eight high-risk districts and the syllabus for them has already been revised,” added the official.

On the other hand a comprehensive strategy has been devised to decrease the alarming trend of death among women during childbirth.

“These LHWs could play a very important and positive role in not only eradicating polio but also reducing the ratio of death among women during childbirth. They could also decrease mortality rate among the newborn,” said the official.

“We are in the process of rehabilitating the LHW program afresh and a comprehensive strategy is being crafted for it,” he added.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has also decided to reconsider its Dengue Action Plan and introduce some much-needed changes.

As per the new plan, doctors, LHWs and paramedics will be trained to diagnose and treat the disease which occurs almost on a yearly basis in the province for the past six to seven years.

It is also worth noting here that recently in Mohmand tribal district LHWs blocked roads in order to record their protest against deduction from their salaries and non-payment of dues for anti-polio vaccination campaigns.

Similarly protests were also held in other district of the province including Bajaur and Peshawar.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2022.