Polio vaccination drive hit by cash crunch

Duration cut to four days, workers' payments slashed

RAWALPINDI:

Due to a severe economic and financial crisis, the Health Department has reduced the duration of the upcoming anti-polio campaign from seven days to four days and has also made major cuts to the compensation of male and female polio workers, area in-charges, and union council medical officers.

Significant cuts have also been imposed on workers' facilities, raising fears that the anti-polio campaign will be badly affected. Polio workers, angered by the reduction in payments, have protested and threatened demonstrations.

Claims by the district administration about eliminating polio in Rawalpindi have also proven false. The next anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi district will begin on February 2 and will continue from Monday, February 2, to Thursday, February 5.

Previously, polio workers were paid a lump sum of Rs13,000 per campaign, which has now been reduced to Rs7,000. Area in-charges, who earlier received a total of Rs19,000 for the campaign period, will now be paid Rs9,216. Similarly, union council medical officers who were earlier paid Rs25,000 per campaign will now receive only Rs16,000.

An alarm has also been raised over the possibility of further reductions in the future.

The health department is facing a severe financial and economic crisis, and compensation has been reduced due to a shortage of funds.

It has been decided to continue these cuts in phases. Polio workers have strongly opposed the reduction and demanded that the decision be withdrawn and the full previous compensation restored, warning of strong protests if their demands are not met.

Female polio workers termed the move unjust and said the government should curb its own extravagance instead of "robbing" poor daily-wage workers of their compensation.

Last year, the district administration had declared Rawalpindi polio-free, but new sampling has found a large presence of the polio virus in the city's sewage. As a result, it has been decided to continue polio campaigns throughout 2026, with campaigns to be conducted every other month. It has also been decided to target families refusing polio drops. According to records, there has been a record increase in refusal cases in Rawalpindi, including in posh areas such as Khayaban-e-Sir Syed and Satellite Town.