It is the WHO that is paying for the salaries of over 32,000 health workers employed in the province for the polio programme.
The provincial government has decided to use the existing infrastructure of World Health Organization’s (WHO) Polio Eradication Programme to counter the spread of dengue virus in Swat and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The dengue cell in Swat claims the number of patients has crossed 500 in the recent outbreak, but unofficial figures indicate as many as 1,500 people may have been affected in the district and nearby areas.
Upon the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, senior officials held a series of discussions with WHO representatives during the week, said health department officials.
“The government has decided in principle to seek the support of well-trained WHO experts to assist the provincial government. [They can] help overcome the current dengue outbreak in the province by utilising the excellent infrastructure WHO has in the shape of the Polio Eradication Programme,” said an officer of the health department familiar with the matter.
He informed the meetings were held at the WHO headquarters and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. The discussions were attended by the K-P chief secretary, health minister and economic coordinator for the chief minister.
“WHO communication and technical experts suggested an innovative three-pronged vertical strategy to control the dengue outbreak in the province,” revealed the health official. According to WHO staffers, mass awareness, communication drives, larva control and emergency treatment would be key to controlling the virus, he added.
The provincial government and WHO both agree the best possible way to control dengue is by launching an effective mass awareness and communication drive. “The government is issuing necessary directives to all concerned for utilising more than 32,000 polio team members to create awareness regarding dengue via WHO approved information, education and communication (IEC) material, which would be distributed door-to-door during the upcoming campaigns,” said the official.
He said the province will request polio experts of WHO to help assist the government in spreading mass awareness through media engagement and development of relevant IEC material besides other strategies.
It is the WHO that is paying for the salaries of over 32,000 health workers employed in the province for the polio programme. In addition, it also employs over 150 highly-trained and effective technical experts known as union council polio workers. These officers work closely with the relevant district health administration (DHA).
In one of the meetings, WHO said it has already directed two of its technical officers to report to the DHA of Swat and remain there till the end of the dengue outbreak. “The WHO has decided to send a team of experts to Swat to hold technical discussions with the health administration on ways to provide best possible solutions using available resources,” shared the health official.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2013.
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Also try to learn something from SS...its not always good to criticize others while they are performing much better than you..:)