Polio drive: Three sent to jail for negligence

Father ends up in jail for refusing his child polio vaccine along with two health workers.

KOHAT: Kohat DC Riaz Mehsud sent the father of a polio victim to jail along with two health department employees.

Officials said Muhammad’s father, Maulana Yusuf, was put behind bars at DI Khan Central Prison for refusing polio drops for his son a month ago.

“Not only the boy’s father, but two health workers, including Doda basic health unit employee Zarya Jan and an area in charge Shahzad Mir, were also sent to prison,” the official said. He added all of them were charged under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

He said an enquiry initiated soon after the case found all three men guilty and that was the reason they were put behind bars.

This is not the first time such action has been taken against a parent refusing polio vaccines for their children. With instances of refusals still rampant, the government has decided to take strict action against violators.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2015.