The meeting was held at General Headquarters Rawalpindi to coordinate details of the campaign with particular emphasis on security and access to affected areas. PHOTO: UNICEF/FILE
The army is already entrusted with the defence of the country's borders from its enemies, and it seems that polio has now been added to that list of enemies.
According to the statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a meeting was held at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday to coordinate details of the campaign with particular emphasis on security and access to the affected areas, especially those in the tribal belt.
The army has suggested a "Whole of Nation Approach" to address the security challenges being faced by the polio eradication campaign, the statement further read.
Military officials also gave representatives of WHO, Federal, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and FATA Secretariat a briefing on the security situation in the country.
They were also appraised about the prevailing situation of polio in the country and the challenges being faced for the smooth running of polio campaign.
The participants expressed the urgency for polio eradication and emphasised on the need to improve security situation to make Pakistan polio free country.
Pakistan has faced stiff challenge in eradicating the polio-virus from the country. Numerous polio teams have been attacked, many workers and doctors associated with the programme were also abducted by the militants.
When facing up to guns, polio workers have had had to combat rigid ideologies of parents about polio. The campaigns have been further marred by non-payment or insufficient payment to vaccinators and a particularly resistant wild polio-virus strain.
They have contributed to 91 cases in 2013, and 27 so far in 2014 prompting travel restrictions from India.
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so imran khan also not able to improve police performance in kpk so they need army help - he said everything will be good after 90 days almost everything
Army needed for conducting elections, army needed for helping the victims of Thar and now, Army needed for eradicating polio. Where are the people who say that army should be at borders and not take part in country's affairs? Without army, democracy is nothing!
In his United Nations speech Bill Gates, the founder of software giant Microsoft, who now runs Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, had said, “The fight to eradicate polio is the thing I spend most of my time on. It is the next big milestone in global health and development.” Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are three countries where polio virus still exists while the rest of the world is polio free today. The fight to eradicate polio in these countries is ongoing. In Pakistan it is sad that the terrorists have been targeting health workers who have been working hard and going home to home to administer polio drops to children who may be exposed to the virus. Polio is a debilitating disease that leaves a child crippled for life and if not controlled it is contagious. This is the reason, it is important for children, especially in the Northern Pakistan, are immunized so that the virus does not spread to places where it has been eradicated. It is welcoming news that Pakistan Army will protect the health workers and we are hopeful that this debilitating disease will soon be eradicated from Pakistan as well.
Abdul Quddus, DET - United States Central Command.
This tells us that the government is helpless without the help of the Army. What good is this democracy they keep banging their chests about?