As more polio cases surface, Centre unhappy with Sindh’s performance

Minister says some districts have less than 6 per cent coverage during polio campaigns

KARACHI:

As the 25th case of polio is reported in Sindh, the federal government has expressed dissatisfaction with the provincial government's efforts to eradicate the virus from the province.

In a follow-up meeting with provincial authorities on Wednesday after meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, State Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, Saira Afzal Tarar, expressed her concerns over the rise of polio cases in Sindh.

The meeting which was attended by top officials of the province, except for the health minister and his secretary, briefed about the routine and special campaigns in the province. Sources at the meeting claim that the minister was displeased with how the routine polio drives were being conducted by the provincial health department. According to the minister, in certain districts there was only six per cent coverage, while in a few others it went as high as 29 per cent. She claimed that the polio virus could be eradicated completely if the provincial government would perform its duties properly. She added it will be impossible to overcome this situation without the exact data which will have to be provided by the provincial government.

Precautions

Provincial officials informed the minister that security was one of the major issues faced by health workers in areas where most of the polio cases were being reported from in Karachi. The federal minister has ensured that polio teams will be provided complete security during the campaign.

The officials claimed that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including nearly 0.9 million Afghan refugees, travel from one area to another area frequently and are responsible for spreading the virus.

The image factor

Tarar told the officials that Pakistan's image was being damaged in other countries due to the increasing number of polio cases in the country.

No is not the answer

Two of the major reasons the virus has spread, according to Sindh government officials, were refusals and difficulty to gain access to children under the age of five.

The provincial health officials asked the federal government to provide them with better security in sensitive areas of the city where polio teams are afraid to enter. Sources claimed that AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who was also at the meeting, ensured that complete security would be provided to polio workers.

It was decided that a polio drive will be launched in 13 of the most sensitive areas of the city from November 30 to December 7.

Ebola

While speaking to the media at Jinnah International Airport later in the day, Tarar said that Pakistan was also susceptible to the threat of the Ebola virus. She said that all staff posted at the airports will be trained in how to deal with the virus before November 23 and added that scanners will be installed at airports to detect the virus.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.