Polio surveillance: One WHO official to monitor four districts
Hazara admin to approach the provincial govt to discuss issue.
The officials agreed to register criminal cases against parents refusing to have their children inoculated.
ABBOTABAD:
The appointment of just one official to monitor the anti-polio campaign in Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar and Mansehra by the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised concerns here on Tuesday.
Officials at a meeting expressed their reservations over the monitoring system devised by the WHO in Hazara and decided to take the matter up with the provincial government. They said that the lack of proper staffing by WHO for monitoring in the remote areas of these four districts might affect the results.
The meeting was attended by Hazara Commissioner Khalid Umerzai, Hazara Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Naeem Khan, deputy commissioners, district police officers, district health officers and revenue officers.
They reviewed the obstacles faced in the last anti-polio campaign and agreed to devise policies to improve the coverage in the upcoming drive, which will now be held from January 28 instead of January 14 due to the cold weather.
The officials agreed to register criminal cases against parents refusing to have their children inoculated. Meanwhile they will cancel FIRs against parents who had refused the inoculation of their children in the last drive. They also discussed security measures for the polio teams, vowing to ensure an uninterrupted anti-polio campaign in Hazara.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2013.
The appointment of just one official to monitor the anti-polio campaign in Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar and Mansehra by the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised concerns here on Tuesday.
Officials at a meeting expressed their reservations over the monitoring system devised by the WHO in Hazara and decided to take the matter up with the provincial government. They said that the lack of proper staffing by WHO for monitoring in the remote areas of these four districts might affect the results.
The meeting was attended by Hazara Commissioner Khalid Umerzai, Hazara Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Naeem Khan, deputy commissioners, district police officers, district health officers and revenue officers.
They reviewed the obstacles faced in the last anti-polio campaign and agreed to devise policies to improve the coverage in the upcoming drive, which will now be held from January 28 instead of January 14 due to the cold weather.
The officials agreed to register criminal cases against parents refusing to have their children inoculated. Meanwhile they will cancel FIRs against parents who had refused the inoculation of their children in the last drive. They also discussed security measures for the polio teams, vowing to ensure an uninterrupted anti-polio campaign in Hazara.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2013.