Alternative immunisation: Sindh to emulate Sehat ka Insaf programme, says official

Initiative achieves more with minimal resources and in less time.

ISLAMABAD:

The success of Sehat ka Insaf  programme has posed an unusual challenge to the National Immunisation Days (NIDs) initiative and raised serious questions on its efficacy.

Talking to The Express Tribune a senior official at the Ministry of National Health Services who wished not to be named said under Sehat ka Insaf  programme, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has achieved its targets within six hours while using minimal resources. Whereas it takes up to two weeks for the federal government to complete polio rounds during NIDs to achieve the same target having maximum resources at their disposal.

The major cause for concern is that since 20 years NIDs are being carried out across the country which involves huge financial and human resource but still the government is unable to achieve its set target, according to the official.

“Another important aspect is that work for only six hours a week makes the workers less prone to terrorist attacks,” said the official.

Meanwhile considering the success of Sehat ka Insaf programme in the K-P, the Sindh government is all set to start a similar programme in Karachi from February 23 under which 500,000 children under the age of five will be vaccinated by 7,000 polio workers in the presence of 4,000 policemen in 23 union councils (UC) in high risk zones, said the official.  This programme will be carried out on ten consecutive Sundays.

‘No NIDs will be needed where Sehat ka Insaf will be carried out. This shows that slowly the new health project is taking over NIDs across the country.

First it was the K-P, then Sindh and hopefully the Punjab will be the next province to adopt it” according to the official.

National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and Prime Minister Polio Monitoring Cell Coordinator Dr Ejaz Khan said no doubt Sehat ka Insaf is a good effort however NIDs has its own effectiveness.

“If we look in the areas where NIDs were carried out successfully so far no polio case has been reported from there,” he said.

However it is too early to term the programme a success as it requires some time to observe its impact, he said.

“Our aim is to eradicate polio therefore there is no harm if we do it through NIDs or Sehat ka Insaf,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2014.