Polio officials in govt crosshairs

Three days given to explain poor campaign results

PESHAWAR:

The deputy commissioners of 24 districts, including Peshawar, have been asked to provide explanations for the dissatisfactory polio campaign in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The chief secretary of the province has issued directives for the deputy commissioners to submit clarifications within three days.

According to sources, a letter has been sent to the deputy commissioners of districts such as Mansehra, Orakzai, Bajaur, Swabi, Khyber, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Battagram, Peshawar, Lakki Marwat, Abbottabad, Mohmand, Bannu, Torghar, Upper Dir, Shangla, Kohat, North Waziristan, Hangu, Karak, Buner, Lower Dir, Tank, and Lower Kohistan regarding the poor results of the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) conducted during the October polio campaign.

The letter highlights that despite quality assurance sampling, the campaigns failed to meet the required standards.

In the Provincial Task Force meeting on December 13, which reviewed efforts to eradicate polio, the chief secretary expressed concern over the substandard results and demanded an explanation for the districts' failure to achieve the desired outcomes.

Sources revealed that after every polio campaign, data is analyzed, and the World Health Organization (WHO) independently evaluates the campaign's quality through LQAS. In this process, at least 60 households are randomly sampled in each union council to assess vaccination coverage.

Districts are then evaluated based on their results, which determine whether they pass or fail. The process follows a scientific approach, and the findings are recorded on a dashboard.

In the October 2024 campaign, out of 293 planned lots, 273 were sampled. However, no district managed to achieve the 90% benchmark. Even Peshawar only scored 72%, while Lower Kohistan and Tank scored zero. Lower Dir achieved 8%, Karak and Buner 25%, Hangu 33%, North Waziristan 38%, and Kohat 42%. Four districts—Upper Dir, Torghar, Shangla, and Bannu—scored between 50% and 55%, while Mohmand achieved 63%, Abbottabad 71%, Battagram 75%, and Dera Ismail Khan 78%.