Defeating polio: ‘More women volunteers can mean greater campaign success’

DCO forms UC, tehsil-level polio eradication committees.

FAISALABAD:

More women volunteers will be recruited to administer anti-polio vaccine in the district during the three-day campaign that begins on the 18th.

This was decided on Wednesday at a meeting of the District Polio Eradication Committee presided over by District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal. The meeting was held to finalise arrangements for the campaign.

The DCO said more lady health workers and women volunteers would improve the chances of the campaign’s success. He said there had been instances during early campaigns of families refusing to let male polio workers in their homes or to give vaccine to a girl child.

He ordered the officials concerned to monitor the campaign on grass root level so that no child was missed.



He stressed the need for launching a massive awareness campaign and enlisting services of prayer leaders.

He directed district officials to display banners and posters at entry points of all villages in the district. He said awareness materials should be displayed at the gates of the tehsil and district headquarters hospital.

The DCO constituted a union council polio eradication committee and a tehsil polio eradication committee to supervise the campaign. He said progress would be reviewed at the end of every day. He also ordered an anti-polio control room to be set up at his office.

He asked the Regional Transport Authority secretary to arrange vaccination camps at all public transport stands during the three days. He said public transport stands where a camp was not set up would be sealed.

The DCO also announced an inter-school declamation contest at the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Auditorium on November 18 on polio.

District Core Committee member Sahibzada Zahid Mehmud Qasmi and Anjuman-i-Tajran general secretary Mehmud Alam Jatt were also present in the meeting. They assured their cooperation during the campaign.

World Health Organisation representatives Muhammad Asif, Mumtaz Leghari and Muhammad Murtaza put their suggestions for effective monitoring of the anti-polio campaign. Health EDO Waqar Sadiq and District Officer Liaqat Ali briefed the participants on the micro plan for the campaign. They said training of all staff had been completed. Six WHO tehsils supports persons and eight union council workers would also supervise the performance of Health Department teams.

Review of projects

Later, the DCO visited Samundri Road and checked the quality of construction work on the road near Novelty Bridge. He asked the National Logistics Cells engineers to complete the remaining projects in time. He also asked them to remove all encroachment from the Novelty Bridge.

He issued directions for preparation of completion plan of Jail Road and Jhang Road.

He also inspected renovation work of the district council building and directed the officials concerned to ensure that work on the restoration of the building should begin soon.

The DCO also took a round of the city to monitor work on green belts.

Parks and Horticulture Agency Managing Director Ashiq Hussain Dogar accompanied him.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2013.