Vaccinations: Polio drops successfully administered in 24 UCs

Health secretary praises the police for the security provided.

KARACHI: The Sindh provincial government successfully completed the administration of polio drops in 24 Union Councils (UC) amidst tight security and a complete ban on motorcycle riding.

The polio workers started the campaign on the scheduled time, along with the police and Rangers personnel. However, it was also reported that a few polio workers were forced to wait for security personnel who arrived late.

Some of the areas were completely cordoned off while the workers did not face any problems in most areas.

The campaign was launched in three UCs of Gadap, four UCs of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, four UCs of Baldia Town, three UCs of Orangi Town, three UCs of SITE Town, three UCs of Bin Qasim Town, two UCs of Landhi and one UC of Saddar and Gulberg each.

The polio workers were unable to complete the task on February 23 when the plan was first being implemented in the city's high-risk areas, only being able to complete the campaign in 19 out of the targeted 24 UCs.

"Yes, we did it successfully," claimed a jubilant Sindh health secretary Iqbal Hussain Durrani, who also visited different areas of the city during the campaign. "The credit goes to Karachi AIG Shahid Hayat for providing us with security."

Durrani believed that the success was not possible without complete commitment from law enforcement agencies and polio workers. "We can beat this virus and we can beat all elements against this campaign," he added. However, the day was not devoid of interesting incidents, including when a couple of parents demanded polio workers to send a particular doctor to administrate the drops. "A family asked 'where is the doctor who usually administrates the drop'," a polio worker informed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2014.