A stern approach: Police to arrest parents who refuse polio drops for children

Law enforcement agencies to take action under section 56 of the code of criminal procedure.

KARACHI: Parents will face arrests without a warrant if they refuse to administer polio vaccines to their children during the three-day anti-polio drive in central district commencing from February 24, announced district central deputy commissioner, Dr Saifur Rahman.

During the vaccination campaign, the polio teams escorted by the police and paramilitary force will go door-to-door and administer polio drops to more than 350,000 children who are below the age of five.

Dr Rahman, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the law enforcement agencies will take action under section 56 of the code of criminal procedure against the parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated. “Government feels its responsibility to take prompt action in the face of a likely polio outbreak and we will make sure that all possible steps have been taken to make the campaign a success,” he said.

Meanwhile, central district senior superintendent of police, Amir Farooqui, said that the security plan for the drive will be determined by the SHO of the area, under supervision of the relevant deputy superintendent of police, a day before it begins.

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global standards, any specific area’s camping is deemed satisfactory if at least 95 per cent of the children are covered,” said a senior WHO official while talking to The Express Tribune.

The Lot Quality Assurance Sampling - randomised computer-based surveys - to optimise the anti-polio campaigns had, however, confirmed that the coverage during the last three years was considerably below the benchmark and the provincial government had been subsequently warned to carry out the measures.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.