District admin defends arrests over vaccine refusals

Riaz Mehsud allays concerns, saying it’s an effective strategy.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar district administration has reinforced its commitment to continue its ongoing strategy to eradicate poliovirus from the province, Peshawar DC Riaz Mehsud told The Express Tribune.

The statement comes after World Health Organization (WHO) voiced its concerns earlier this month over the decision to arrest parents who refused to inoculate their children against the crippling virus. However, Mehsud has justified this policy as a suitable method to rid the province of polio.

“We initially try to persuade parents to administer polio drops to their children,” he said. “However, if they refuse, we arrest them. The district administration knows how to ensure that people comply with its orders.”

According to the Peshawar DC, a law and order situation has not been created by these arrests. “On the contrary, with the help of the police, we have been able to tackle the problem in an effective manner,” he said. “Our main priority is to not put the lives of children at risk. If parents fail to comply, we have no choice but to pursue other options.”

A question of negotiation

Mehsud said the provincial government is willing to take all possible measures to eradicate polio from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“Since the number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children is increasing every day, the administration decided to devise a fresh strategy,” he said.

Mehsud said the administration had organised a series of meetings in areas where a large number of cases of parents refusing to inoculate their children were reported.

“We held jirgas and managed to persuade parents to vaccinate their children against polio,” he said. “Religious leaders and clerics cooperated with us in this regard.”

According to Mehsud, parents were simultaneously warned that if they continue to refuse the vaccine, they will be put behind bars.

The Peshawar DC said the meeting has generated a positive impact.

“The number of cases of parents refusing to vaccinate their children has been reduced after the jirga sessions,” he added.

Mehsud said the police have stopped arresting parents since a majority of them had agreed to inoculate their children.

“The fear of being put behind bars is the main reason why the number of refusal cases have been reduced from 14,000 to 4,800,” he added.

Acting WHO in charge in Pakistan Dr Zubair Wadood said the K-P government has chalked out a strategy and has been focusing all its efforts to eradicate the crippling virus. He added it should continue convincing people by taking all stakeholders on board to save the future of the children, choosing not to dwell on the particulars of how the government was best placed to counter refusals.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2015.