Enabling smooth travel: Polio vaccination cards counter set up at Pims

Responding to WHO restrictions on travellers, counter established at Children’s Hospital.

ISLAMABAD:

A special counter for issuing polio vaccination certificates has been set up at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) — Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). The cards will be issued to citizens with travel plans to international destinations in the upcoming days, to ensure a smooth, trouble-free passage abroad for them.

“The counter has been established at the Children Hospital since we were short of space at the University Hospital,” said SZABMU Vice Chancellor Javed Akram while briefing the media on Thursday.

He added that the development came about after the World Health Organisation (WHO) imposed restrictions on travellers from Pakistan. The WHO directives state that any traveller from Pakistan destined for international airports would require certified proof of polio vaccination.

All such travellers will not be charged any fee for getting the requisite polio vaccination travel cards, he informed.

Sharing specific details, Akram said that polio vaccination travelling cards will be issued from 8am to 2pm at the Children Hospital. The timings for Fridays will be 8am to 12pm.

He added that his office will be open for any complaints in case of issues. Citizens can lodge complaints if they face any hindrance in the issuance of these cards.

“All adults will be vaccinated as per the international health guidelines, and will be given drops before the issuance of polio travelling vaccination cards,” added Akram.

Responding to a question regarding the routine immunisation of newborns, Akram said that all such arrangements are available for children, adding that a strong immunisation programme is in place at the hospital, which is personally monitored by him.

He asserted that parents should ensure vaccination shots for their children as per the vaccination programme chart (cards), which are handed over to all parents of newborn babies.

Akram told The Express Tribune that a total of 65 certificates for polio vaccines were issued by the hospital on Thursday.

“The news about travel restrictions and the requirement of issuance of a certificate for polio vaccine has created panic among people. A majority of people who visited Pims were confused as to how many certificates were required, whether they would have to acquire them on several occasions, and where they will be asked to produce the certificate,” said Akram.

Clearing some of this confusion, he assured that the certificate will hold for a period of one year, after which the certificate holder will have to get vaccinated again and acquire certified proof of this.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2014.