PESHAWAR:Commissioner Malakand Division Iqbal Hussain Bacha on Tuesday directed health authorities to pay special attention to districts and union councils showing poor performance during the upcoming polio campaign and strengthen the monitoring mechanism to improve vaccination coverage.
He issued these directives while chairing a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Malakand Area Coordinator Khawaja Irfan and Regional Information Officers. The meeting reviewed efforts for polio eradication and data pertaining to health facilities.
During the meeting, the WHO area coordinator briefed participants on the responsibilities of technical field staff, vaccination coverage, required equipment, and administrative and operational aspects of the campaign.
The Commissioner directed that the WHO introductory profile and detailed information regarding health facilities be provided in digital format. He also ordered verification of data on solar-powered health facilities so that it could be compared with records maintained by the Additional Deputy Commissioners (Finance and Planning) and (Relief and Human Resources), Shangla.
The meeting also reviewed the Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) campaign held in September. The Commissioner directed that districts and union councils with low performance be identified and special measures taken to improve vaccination coverage in those areas.
He said district health officers would lead the campaign, while designated medical staff would be responsible for administering polio drops to children. Support from other departments and community volunteers would also be sought whenever required.
The Commissioner directed that control rooms remain operational for effective monitoring of the campaign and that any technical or administrative issues encountered in the field be immediately referred to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) for timely resolution.
He further directed that meetings of District Polio Eradication Committees be held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners during the polio campaign. These meetings should not exceed 30 minutes and should focus on shortcomings identified during the campaign, responsibilities of relevant officers, and timelines for resolving issues.
The decisions and directives issued during the meeting were communicated to the Provincial Secretary Health, Deputy Commissioners of Malakand Division, WHO Area Coordinator and Regional Information Officers.