DERA ISMAIL KHAN:Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan Division Zafarul Islam has vowed to achieve targets of Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) drive by utilizing all available resource and strict implementation on anti-polio micro plan.
The commissioner was presiding over a meeting of divisional task force for Polio attended by Deputy Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan Mansoor Arshad, Deputy Commissioner Tank Mohammad Shoaib, Deputy Commissioner South Waziristan Upper Ashfaq Khan, District Health Officers, Secretary to Commissioner, Deputy DHOs of all the four districts and officers from other related departments including Health and Police.
During the meeting, the deputy commissioners of the four districts and the DHO briefed the commissioner in detail regarding the anti-polio measures.
The commissioner directed to formulate a plan for the coverage of the refusal cases and its full implementation should be ensured in true letter and spirit.
He said the government employees, whether of federal or provincial government, especially of health, education and police must bring their children to the places where OPV teams were present.
The commissioner said the district administrations concerned must take strict action against those government employees who were included in refusal cases.
He stressed the need to enhance mobile teams and transit points during anti-polio campaigns so that no child should be missed out.
He said people from neighboring areas including shepherds or migrants came from different areas of Waziristan should also be covered during the drives.
He was of the view that there would be difficulties in the way of complete eradication of polio virus until the refusal cases were covered.
The commissioner regretted that the polio virus was still present in Pakistan which has become a global challenge for the country.
He also appealed the parents to get administered their all children up to five years of age by inoculating anti-polio drops keeping them safe from lifelong disability.