PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
The vulnerability of social workers and the police force in Pakistan is an ongoing problem. Last December, nine polio workers were killed in the northwest and Karachi, and again in the northwest in January, another policeman, along with seven other polio charity workers, was shot dead. Police members continue to fall under attack across the country. Security measures taken thus far have not been enough. These recent murders of policemen escorting polio workers are making a mockery of our nation’s security force. The best measure would be to eliminate the biggest enemy of humanity in the country altogether — the extremists. What incites further derision is that Pakistan is, shamefully, one of only three countries where polio has not been eliminated — and one of those three countries, Afghanistan, is recovering from a decade-long war.
There is no threat to human reproduction via polio vaccinations, nor is it proven that any of these polio workers were spies. Yet, workers continue to lose their lives. We, as a nation, need to appreciate their work, and help them along, providing them greater security and leaving no question in our minds that these vaccinations are necessary. Indeed, we cannot allow conspiracy theories, regarding these vaccinations, to take root in any section of society, as has been attempted in the past.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2013.
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I am writing to raise two points: Firstly, main sabotage of the polio eradication programme is our non-existent primary healthcare system. Under present circumstances, we are likely to lose a war against any public health issue! It is virtually impossible to provide failsafe security arrangements for the polio team when they have to visit each household. The only way forward is to focus on an attitudinal shift to clarify misconceptions through awareness and education. The medical profession works effectively only when it is trust based. People want to believe their doctors but that faith has to be earned through a sincere partnership. The government must urgently work to strengthen our primary healthcare especially in high risk regions. This will provide an opportunity for the families & children to visit health workers/centres rather than vice versa (which would obviously help overcome security threat). If there were general health workers offering general healthcare or for example, ‘effective’ health camps, instead of special ‘polio’ workers and specific polio campaigns, community might be better engaged.
Secondly, since polio eradication is projected to be a global challenge (and rightly so), it is seen as a ‘western’ agenda and not a ‘national’ one. By disrupting the polio campaign, terrorist believe they are winning a war against the west, ignoring its implications on the health of their own people. We must own it as a national emergency. The attacks on polio workers are creating a lot of sensation and attracting attention. This is reinforcing radical ambition. There is a dire need to review our strategy for implementing an effective and safe programme.