Anti-polio drive kicks off

Over 80,000 health workers mobilised to vaccinate around 10.3m children

KARACHI:

The Sindh Health Department has initiated a comprehensive anti-polio campaign across the province. The campaign is set to run from October 2 to 8 in Karachi and from October 2 to 6 in the remaining 23 districts of Sindh. Over 80,000 dedicated health workers, organized into 37,000 teams, will be mobilized to administer polio vaccines to an estimated 10.3 million children. Additionally, children aged 6 months to 5 years will receive vitamin A supplements to enhance their immunity.

Caretaker Minister of Health, Public Health Engineering, and Social Welfare Dr Saad Khalid Niaz inaugurated the anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to children at the MCH Jannat Gul Hospital in Gadap. Notably, other prominent figures, including Commissioner Karachi Salim Rajput, Deputy Commissioner East Altaf Sheikh, Coordinator EOC Irshad Sodhar, and Dr. Ahmed Ali Sheikh, also participated in administering polio drops to children during this event.

Addressing the opening ceremony and speaking to the media, Niaz emphasized that the government has not halted funds for welfare institutions; they simply seek transparency through proper accounting. He underscored that the Health Department allocated Rs89 billion, and it is well within their rights to seek an account of how those funds were utilized.

To ensure the safety and security of the polio teams, Karachi will deploy 3,500 policemen, while Sindh will have 5,000 policemen actively monitoring and protecting these teams. Additionally, in sensitive areas, the assistance of the Rangers has been requested. Importantly, the law now mandates immunization, binding citizens to comply with vaccination requirements.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2023.