Polio challenges: Medical technician blocks bid to vaccinate daughter
Five-year-old girl was not allowed inoculation on religious grounds.
Five-year-old girl was not allowed inoculation on religious grounds. PHOTO: REUTERS
QUETTA:
The head of the anti-polio operation in Balochistan on Sunday said that the biggest challenge of administering polio drops to vulnerable children was changing the mindset of households and removing lingering doubts about its efficacy.
Illustrating his point, he said that the father of the latest polio victim is himself a medical technician, who refused to allow his children to be vaccinated against the crippling disease.
Despite his profession, Ghulam Mustafa, the father of five-year-old Gul Afshan, snubbed vaccination attempts on religious grounds, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) head Dr Saifur Rehman told the news media on Sunday.
“It is very tragic that a medical technician in Quetta has been refusing to vaccinate his children. It has resulted in life-long paralysing disease for his daughter,” he said.
“I think the father of the polio victim should be jailed, because he is the sole person responsible for paralysing his five-year-old daughter,” Rehman said. “I think that is an offence.”
Health workers and experts have documented each and every child who has not been administered polio drops in Quetta, Pishin and Killa Abdullah. As per records, there are 4,443 chronic refusal cases involving parents refusing to administer anti-polio drops to their children.
He said Balochistan Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattha, Commissioner Quetta division Kambar Dashti and senior officials have pledged to extend their full support and assistance to the polio campaign.
“The Quetta commissioner’s office will closely monitor the situation with the EOC and no one shall be reminded that we have to cover all these chronic refusal cases,” Rehman said.
The list of children, along with their name and age were provided to deputy commissioners of Quetta, Killah Abdullah and Pishin. “All these refusal parents will be persuaded,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2015.
The head of the anti-polio operation in Balochistan on Sunday said that the biggest challenge of administering polio drops to vulnerable children was changing the mindset of households and removing lingering doubts about its efficacy.
Illustrating his point, he said that the father of the latest polio victim is himself a medical technician, who refused to allow his children to be vaccinated against the crippling disease.
Despite his profession, Ghulam Mustafa, the father of five-year-old Gul Afshan, snubbed vaccination attempts on religious grounds, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) head Dr Saifur Rehman told the news media on Sunday.
“It is very tragic that a medical technician in Quetta has been refusing to vaccinate his children. It has resulted in life-long paralysing disease for his daughter,” he said.
“I think the father of the polio victim should be jailed, because he is the sole person responsible for paralysing his five-year-old daughter,” Rehman said. “I think that is an offence.”
Health workers and experts have documented each and every child who has not been administered polio drops in Quetta, Pishin and Killa Abdullah. As per records, there are 4,443 chronic refusal cases involving parents refusing to administer anti-polio drops to their children.
He said Balochistan Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattha, Commissioner Quetta division Kambar Dashti and senior officials have pledged to extend their full support and assistance to the polio campaign.
“The Quetta commissioner’s office will closely monitor the situation with the EOC and no one shall be reminded that we have to cover all these chronic refusal cases,” Rehman said.
The list of children, along with their name and age were provided to deputy commissioners of Quetta, Killah Abdullah and Pishin. “All these refusal parents will be persuaded,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2015.