QUETTA:An online meeting of the Divisional Task Force was held under the chairmanship of the Commissioner of Quetta Division, Zeeshan Lashari, to review the overall polio situation in the division and discuss preparations for the upcoming polio campaign.
The meeting included a detailed assessment of the campaign’s performance, addressing issues such as ‘missed children,’ refusals, coverage of children who have received no doses, security arrangements, monitoring, and the vaccination system.
Attendees included Divisional Task Force Coordinator Dr. Safdar, ACOs Dr. Aziz Ahmed and Muhammad Sohail Ahmed, and Divisional Officer Dr. Imdad Ali, alongside officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations.
Additionally, the meeting was attended online by the Deputy Commissioner of Quetta, Meherullah Badini; Deputy Commissioner of Quetta West, Munir Ahmed Durrani; Deputy Commissioner of Mastung, Bahram Khan, the Provincial Coordinator for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Balochistan, Dr. Aftab Kakar; as well as District Health Officers (DHOs), Deputy DHOs, and representatives from UNICEF, the National Programme, the WHO, and other relevant agencies.
During the meeting, directives were issued to place special focus on ‘missed children,’ refusals, and children who have received no doses. It was also instructed that the training of vaccination teams to be completed promptly ahead of the upcoming polio campaign.
The Commissioner directed that in Union Councils with a high number of refusals, the performance of the teams should be evaluated, and new teams deployed where necessary.
Furthermore, in light of the high number of children who have received no doses in Mastung, instructions were given to revise the campaign’s planning and improve coverage.
It was reported during the meeting that the number of “zero-dose” children (those who have received no vaccinations) has decreased from 10,000 to 8,708; however, further measures are still required in this regard. Emphasis was placed on maintaining a systematic record of children who are repeatedly missed, identifying those who remain consistently unreached, and ensuring access to them.
The meeting also addressed Union Councils where monitoring is not taking place due to security or accessibility issues, directing the relevant authorities to take effective steps to resolve these challenges.
Commissioner Zeeshan Lashari directed that Union Councils demonstrating poor performance be subjected to individual scrutiny, and that the responsible officers be asked to provide an explanation regarding their performance.
He underscored the need to improve the training and supervision of teams, as well as their practical performance in the field during polio vaccination campaigns.
During the meeting, Dr. Aftab Kakar, the Provincial Coordinator for Balochistan, provided a briefing on the performance of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) over the past two months.
He noted that while certain indicators for vaccination coverage in Quetta have improved, further action is required in various areas, including Mastung.
He stated that it is essential to improve statistics concerning vaccination coverage, data entry, dropout rates, and the number of zero-dose children.
In light of the measles cases reported in Quetta, Dr. Aftab Kakar emphasized the need to increase vaccination coverage, ensure timely data entry, and guarantee the accuracy of field records.
He directed the relevant District Health Officers to visit Basic Health Units (BHUs) to verify the availability of medicines and the attendance of staff. The performance of vaccinators was also reviewed during the meeting, and instructions were issued to initiate disciplinary action in accordance with the rules against personnel who failed to vaccinate ‘zero-dose’ children or did not meet their assigned targets.
Furthermore, relevant authorities were directed to obtain lists of vaccinators and verify their respective targets and performance.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was emphasized that for the eradication of polio it is essential to strengthen the EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunization), expand vaccination coverage, maintain accurate data, and ensure that every child has access to vaccines.