Effective immunisation: Karachi gets new focal person for polio campaign

KARACHI:

Dr Ashraf Shirazi has replaced Dr Zafar Ejaz as the focal person for the polio eradication campaign in Karachi, it was revealed on Monday.

The decision was taken in view of the wide range of responsibilities already being managed by Dr Ejaz, who is the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's (KMC) health director. Meanwhile, Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, who is spearheading the efforts for the eradication of polio virus in the city, has approached the provincial health secretary to take action against certain town health officers.

According to sources, these officers did not attend the medical camps organised at the union councils that were declared 'super high risk' for polio, during the recently conducted special polio immunisation drive.

The commissioner took exception to the fact that the target of immunising all the children in the 10 high-risk UCs could not be achieved due to the lax attitude of the officials of the health and police departments.

The commissioner, during a meeting with various stakeholders at his office on Monday, decided that each town health officer will be required to personally present a daily report about the status of the polio virus and steps taken to protect children against the crippling disease in their respective towns.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2015.