Talk to the elephant

Billions of rupees were hurled at the polio elephant in last 2 years, yet this year saw worst outbreak for a decade

Since the election in 2013, the extremely large and toxic elephant in the political drawing room has been studiously ignored despite having ‘polio’ written in very large letters on both sides. Anti-polio drives have come and gone and the battle against the deadly disease has never really ceased, but there was little or nothing coming from the top of the political tree to add heft to the campaign. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has now decided to speak directly to the elephant. He presided over a meeting at which all the provincial chief ministers were present, as well as the governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir and the federal interior, defence, information and health ministers. This was clearly a heavyweight gathering to address what has become a heavyweight problem, causing international concern at the proliferation of polio emanating from sources in Pakistan and prompting international travel restrictions imposed by the World Health Organisation. The assembled company was asked to make polio eradication a top national priority — it should already have been so and should not have required reiteration but apparently did — and he announced the setting up of a cabinet committee for the eradication of polio, which may or may not be a waste of time, money and effort.

It is a year since the prime minister last chaired a similar meeting and matters have gone steadily downhill ever since. Within hours of the meeting, the prime minister was reported as saying that he was committed to the eradication of the disease in six months — this was later denied, and there is now no time frame attached to the campaign. The prime minister is to review progress every fortnight. Billions of rupees have been hurled at the polio elephant in the last two years, yet this year has seen the worst outbreak for a decade. The Japanese are putting money in; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is putting money in and so is the government itself. Polio can be eradicated from Pakistan. It is not an impossibility, but it is going to need a mighty and concerted effort if it is to be finally slain.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2014.

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