Low immunisation rate: 2013 notified as Routine Immunisation Coverage Year

Decision taken because a large number of children don’t get immunised.

BAHAWALPUR:

2013 has been declared as the Routine Immunisation Coverage Year by the Punjab government.

This was stated by the Health Secretary Captain (retired) Arif Nadeem on Wednesday in a meeting that was attended by Commissioner Muhammad Khan Khichi, Health Director General Dr Muhammad Aslam and DCOs.

Nadeem told the meeting that there are 3,453 teams working to administer the polio vaccine. Another 3,710 individual vaccinators, 50 lady health workers and 310 supervisors are also working as part of the immunisation programme.  He said the Punjab government had notified next year as Routine Immunisation Coverage Year because despite employing a big network of inoculators, a large fraction of children in the Punjab remained unvaccinated.



According to a recent study carried out by experts and students of the Punjab Institute of Public Health (PIPH), the average routine immunisation coverage rate for the province is 57.5 per cent. In some districts, it’s as low as 40 per cent or even below.

By ensuring that a majority of the children get immunised against various diseases, Nadeem said, child mortality rate among children can be brought down. According to a UN report, released in September, about 6.9 million children in Pakistan died before their fifth birthday in 2011, compared to around 12 million in 1990.



The health secretary said the government would use all resources available to make sure the next year is a success. He also warned the government officials against negligence, warning them with dire consequences.

Protest

Bahawal Victoria Hospital paramedical staff protested on Wednesday, during the health secretary visit to the hospital, demanding that they be paid the Hard Area Allowance like doctors and nurses. Nadeem met with the association’s head Muhammad Iqbal Baddani and assured them that their demands will be met within 72 hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2012.