Polio eradication: Three provinces showing ‘lacklustre’ performance
Federal health officials express concern over campaign
ISLAMABAD:
Federal health officials have expressed ‘concern’ over the lacklustre performance of three provinces in combating the debilitating polio virus.
At a meeting held on Friday here to review the progress on the recently launched anti-polio campaign across the country, the health officials observed that provincial campaign control rooms (PCCRs) in three provinces were not performing to optimum level or getting the desired results.
Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) National Manager Dr Rana Safdar told The Express Tribune that except for Punjab, PCCRs in other three provinces were not functioning actively at a time when a public health emergency has been declared to fight the virus.
He said that the main function of these control rooms is to monitor, analyse and evaluate the campaigns besides sharing the timely data with the federal government.
Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar has expressed ‘serious concern’ over the shortage of human resource in Rawalpindi to carry out anti-polio drives, security issues in Karachi and the failure to access missed children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the special drive, said a press release issued here.
The minister urged the provincial government to redouble their efforts to cover all the missed children by engaging the district teams and locals to clear ‘misconceptions’ about polio drops.
Tarar suggested operationalising emergency operation cells at the provincial level on the line of the newly-established federal Emergency Operation Cell for improved coordination during the anti-polio campaigns.
The health minister said that an inter-provincial meeting on polio eradication will be convened after Eid to discuss the results of the recently launched polio campaign.
She also briefed the meeting about the Independent Monitoring Board’s meeting held in London on September 29, where she represented Pakistan. She said that the global community was concerned over the surge of polio cases in Pakistan. She said that Pakistan, however, strongly argued that the security situation of certain areas was causing the upsurge of polio cases.
Meanwhile, Emergency Operation Cell Incharge Dr Rana Safdar told the meeting that a total of 181,089 staffers took part in the nationwide anti-polio drive from September 29 to October 4.
As part of a one-day special strategy being followed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the drive was carried out in Peshawar on September 27 and in Charsadda on September 29, he said. He told the meeting that campaigns in three high risk districts of Balochistan—Quetta, Qilla Abdullah and Pishin—will be held on October 13.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2014.
Federal health officials have expressed ‘concern’ over the lacklustre performance of three provinces in combating the debilitating polio virus.
At a meeting held on Friday here to review the progress on the recently launched anti-polio campaign across the country, the health officials observed that provincial campaign control rooms (PCCRs) in three provinces were not performing to optimum level or getting the desired results.
Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) National Manager Dr Rana Safdar told The Express Tribune that except for Punjab, PCCRs in other three provinces were not functioning actively at a time when a public health emergency has been declared to fight the virus.
He said that the main function of these control rooms is to monitor, analyse and evaluate the campaigns besides sharing the timely data with the federal government.
Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar has expressed ‘serious concern’ over the shortage of human resource in Rawalpindi to carry out anti-polio drives, security issues in Karachi and the failure to access missed children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the special drive, said a press release issued here.
The minister urged the provincial government to redouble their efforts to cover all the missed children by engaging the district teams and locals to clear ‘misconceptions’ about polio drops.
Tarar suggested operationalising emergency operation cells at the provincial level on the line of the newly-established federal Emergency Operation Cell for improved coordination during the anti-polio campaigns.
The health minister said that an inter-provincial meeting on polio eradication will be convened after Eid to discuss the results of the recently launched polio campaign.
She also briefed the meeting about the Independent Monitoring Board’s meeting held in London on September 29, where she represented Pakistan. She said that the global community was concerned over the surge of polio cases in Pakistan. She said that Pakistan, however, strongly argued that the security situation of certain areas was causing the upsurge of polio cases.
Meanwhile, Emergency Operation Cell Incharge Dr Rana Safdar told the meeting that a total of 181,089 staffers took part in the nationwide anti-polio drive from September 29 to October 4.
As part of a one-day special strategy being followed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the drive was carried out in Peshawar on September 27 and in Charsadda on September 29, he said. He told the meeting that campaigns in three high risk districts of Balochistan—Quetta, Qilla Abdullah and Pishin—will be held on October 13.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2014.