ISLAMABAD:Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel said on Monday that government was taking all possible measures to make Pakistan polio-free and appealed the parents to cooperate with polio teams and secure future of their children by allowing them drops of anti-polio vaccine.
Talking to a private news channel, he said that five-day national polio eradication drive kicked off on Monday, where approximately 43.3 million children under the age of five years would be administered anti-polio vaccine.
He said that the government has chalked out a comprehensive national emergency programme against polio, which was being carried out across the country in collaboration with the provinces.
Around 340,000 frontline workers will take part in the campaign to administer anti-polio vaccine to the children at their doorsteps, he added.
On the strict directions of PM Shehbaz Sharif federal, provincial governments and district management to address the challenge of persistently missed children, refusals and fake finger marking during the campaign, he mentioned.
He said that the challenge of polio still existed in the country, however, there was dire need for all stakeholders to work collectively to eradicate the menace from the country.