Redeployed: PM’s polio control cell staff told to resume work

Minister of state says interim set-up had posted the cell’s officials elsewhere.

ISLAMABAD:

With all the key officials working with the Prime Minister’s Polio Cell transferred to other departments, the state minister for health has asked the staff of the cell to resume work.

The PM’s cell for polio control -- which was closed in May by the caretaker government -- was restored by the new government though it was still not fully operational.

Saira Afzal Tarar, minister of state for national health services, regulation and coordination, has directed the staff of the cell to resume work at full capacity and the cell to restart its operations.



A copy of the notification issued by the ministry of national health services, regulation and coordination on June 21, available with The Express Tribune, states that Mazhar Nisar who was earlier working as communication specialist for the PM polio cell, has been assigned to work as a health education adviser for the ministry.

Nisar told The Express Tribune that he is still working with the cell and has been given additional charges at the ministry.



Meanwhile, an official of the cell said that other key officials and support staff have also been transferred to the ministry.

One such official was Dr Altaf Bosan, who was the national coordinator PM Polio Cell, but the government has not notified his restoration, said the official.

“During its devolution period no coordination took place between the federal polio cell and provincial polio cells. It affected the anti-polio programme activities at some of the districts of the country as no polio supplementary immunisation activities were carried out during this time period and over 1.5 million children missed their dose of anti-polio drops,” he said.



Saira Afzal Tarar told The Express Tribune that the interim government had maltreated the PM polio cell by posting its officials elsewhere and devolving it.

“The PM polio cell will soon be fully functional and all the staff will be reposted to their old positions,” she said.

Talking about Dr Bosan, she said he will again resume charge as the cell’s national coordinator.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2013.