Tabling of PC-1: $311m polio eradication scheme suffers delay

Postponement due to reservations of stakeholders; clarifications sought on some points

ISLAMABAD: The PC-1 for Polio Eradication Initiative for 2016-18 worth $311 million is now likely to be tabled at the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in the third week of November with a two-week delay. On the other hand the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has also assured Pakistan that it would help to fill the existing financial gap of $100 million in order to sustain critical polio eradication activities for the upcoming 2016-18 period.

Talking to The Express Tribune, National Emergency Operation Center for Polio Coordinator Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar said the reason behind the delay was that few of the stakeholders had reservations over a few points mentioned in the PC-1 and had asked for clarifications.

“Therefore now their reservations have been addressed and all of them have given complete assurance that the PC-1 would be approved in the upcoming meeting of CDWP,” he said.

Once the PC-1 is approved from CDWP, it will be presented before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final endorsement, he said.

“The GPEI has assured Pakistan that once the PC-1 is approved they will help to fill the existing financial gap and for this they have approached few potential donor agencies with whom the negotiation has reached an advanced level,” said Safdar.

He further said that this year Pakistan is on track, and to achieve its set target to eradicate the crippling disease by 2016, there is a need to focus more on the sustainability of the polio eradication programme.

Compared to the previous year, this year a notable decline has been witnessed in the number of polio cases, he said.

“This year so far 41 cases of polio have been reported from across the country while last year the total number of reported cases was 306,” he said.

Meanwhile according to official data, since 2013 no case of polio has been reported from Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.  This year Punjab has shown great improvement with just one case reported from the province while last year five cases were reported. In Sindh just six cases were reported this year while last year there were 30 cases; K-P has reported 15 cases while 68 were reported last year; FATA reported 13 cases this year while last year there were 179 and Balochistan reported 6 cases this year, a marked decrease from the 25 cases reported last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2015.