Safety concerns: Disgruntled polio workers agree to participate in drive

The workers had been boycotting the drive because of increasing instances of attacks on polio workers in K-P and FATA.

JAMRUD:

Polio workers who had been refusing to take part in the anti-polio campaign in Khyber Agency have agreed to launch the drive under tight security, following negotiations.

The workers had been boycotting the drive because of increasing instances of attacks on polio workers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

According to Khan Mir, an official of the health department of Jamrud, the recent attacks had discouraged polio workers from continuing, but in a meeting between them and the department officials on Thursday most of them have agreed to continue.

“We had otherwise begun giving khasadar officials training in basic vaccination,” he said.

Mir added on Thursday 64 workers had still not agreed to join the campaign, however, on Friday, after meeting with Assistant Political Agent (APA) Jehangir Azam Wazir and Agency Surgeon Rahman Afridi, they also agreed to work under strict security measures.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2014.