Curbing polio in FATA: More funds, workers sought to run drive effectively

Officials request Rs199 million to continue campaigns, say activities being carried out using last year’s funds.

ISLAMABAD:

The number of workers to administer polio vaccines in the restive Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) has been increased in the latest PC-1 for the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). Officials have requested Rs199 million funds to continue anti- polio campaigns in the region, it has been learnt.

Talking to The Express Tribune, technical focal person for EPI Fata, Muhammad Azam Khan, said that the programme is facing a shortage of funds and at present all related activities are being carried out utilising last year’s funds. He said the PC-1 is expected to be approved in July but the required funds will be released by September. “This is why we have asked partner organisation to provide us for interim funds that will be reimbursed them later,” he added.

Khan said they have requested the government to release the funds as soon as they are approved, adding that if the funds are released by the end of September, it will be difficult for Pakistan to achieve its targets by the end of the year. He said that more efforts are required to eliminate polio in Fata as it is a high-risk zone. He maintained that 11 polio cases were reported from the area this year out of 22 total cases reported across the country.

Khan said in the new PC-1 the number of frontline workers has been increased and their pay has been raised to Rs500 per day during the four-day polio campaign. “One of the reasons behind the unsatisfactory coverage during polio campaigns is lack of financial incentives for workers who have to cover over a 100 houses a day, while facing all sorts of challenges in a conflict zone,” he said. More than 80 per cent of the budget is for frontline workers, he added.

The EPI focal person said that eight scheduled national campaigns are supposed to be carried throughout across the country, but because of unsatisfactory results, repeat campaigns have to be carried out which require additional funds.

Khan said Mehsud Scouts had fully supported the polio campaigns in Bara tehsil to ensure that every child under-five was immunised against polio. When asked about negotiations with Taliban who have banned a vaccination campaign in the restive South Waziristan, he said the concerned government departments are holding talks with them.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2012.