Combating polio: K-P govt to pay Rs1,000 to parents of immunised newborns

Parents from the most disadvantaged areas of the province to be paid under the scheme.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will pay Rs1,000 to parents for each newborn child who completes a 15-month programme of vaccinations against diseases such as polio, The Guardian reported.

Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio is still endemic.

In its bid to eradicate the crippling disease from the province, the K-P government has decided to offer monetary incentives to ensure parents get their children vaccinated. The parents from the most disadvantaged areas of the province will be paid under this scheme.

Deputy director of the K-P's expanded programme on immunisation Janbaz Afridi said "it has to be a good amount of money to be attractive, even in the very poorest districts of the province."

"If it is a success, we will extend it to every child in the province," he added.

Many see vaccination campaigns as a cover for espionage, while there are also long-running rumours about polio drops causing infertility.