Senate session: Fudged figures on polio sparked travel ban, says Tarar

Opposition stages walkout against privatisation.

ISLAMABAD:

In a rare admission, the government has informed the upper house of parliament that fabrication of figures in polio vaccination campaigns was one of the main factors that led to travel restrictions being imposed on Pakistan.

The startling revelation was made by Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar in the Senate on Friday.

Following a joint adjournment motion moved by Senator Rubina Khalid on the international travel ban recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO), Tarar said inflated figures passed on from the districts to the ministry were responsible for the failure of the polio campaign.

Tarar revealed that success rate of immunisation campaigns was projected at a staggering 80% to 90%. Perturbed by the falsified figures, she said, “We could scarcely believe our eyes.”

Highlighting details of the government’s plan for ensuring vaccination facilities, Tarar said that over a million vaccination cards have been printed and will be dispatched to the provinces.

According to the minister, Balochistan is least accessible to anti-polio drives with just 16% population inoculated, followed by Sindh with 29%. Punjab accounted for the highest level of immunisation (68.5%) while more than half of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s population (52.5%) has been inoculated.

“Karachi, Peshawar and Fata – particularly North Waziristan – are areas where poliovirus strain is dangerous,” cautioned the minister, defending measures taken by the Punjab government for internal travel curbs on people of other provinces.

Opposition leader Senator Aitizaz Ahsan assured the government of his party’s support in all measures taken to ensure eradication of polio.

Privatisation

Opposition members were scathing in their remarks against the government over its privatisation policy.

Members of the opposition also staged a walkout in protest against the government’s privatisation policy.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2014.