Innovative strategies to reach polio-default children discussed

A meeting of the integrated service delivery was held on Wednesday chaired by Secretary Health Mehmood Aslam Wazir.

The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the implementation of the anti-polio program in the seven most sensitive districts of the province and to ensure access to the polio-default children in these districts. UNICEF Health Team Lead, Dr Inamullah, Additional Director General Dr Shaid Younas, Director EPI Dr Arif, Director Nutrition Dr Fazal Majeed, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Ayan Khan, Chief HRSU Dr Shaheen Afridi also attended the meeting.

The program is focused on the seven southern districts which have been declared sensitive by the National Emergency Operation Centre to ensure 100 per cent compliance.

The meeting discussed the matter of increased coverage of anti-polio vaccination in North Waziristan, Upper and Lower South Waziristan, Bannu and other sensitive districts including increasing the outreach of the immunization program.

Read: Polio resurgence

Briefing the participants, Dr Ikramullah said that the main aim of the project is to finalise the integrated service delivery plan and ensure its early implementation.

He said that every efforts would be made to reach children who are in polio-default category, adding that the immune system of these children is weak which leads to polio cases in these vulnerable children in the seven most sensitive districts.

Talking on this occasion Mehmood Aslam Wazir said that designing a UC-specific unique strategy is need of the hour because the overall strategy adopted so far has failed to work in these districts and this problem could be solved through innovation.

He said that more and more lady health workers (LHWs) should be employed in this role, adding that many rural areas of the southern districts were out of reach and inaccessible and this problem should also be addressed on priority basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2023.