PESHAWAR:Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR), Ikramullah Khan Gandapur has directed district administrators to take necessary measures for course correction about polio eradication and ensure that all children under five years are vaccinated against the crippling virus.
According to a press release issued here, he said this while chairing a meeting of the Provincial Task Force (PTF) here Tuesday at his office.
Special Secretary Health for polio eradication, Abdul Basit, Secretary Health KP, Mehmood Aslam Wazir, Secretary Information KP, Syed Jabbar Shah, AIG Police (Ops), Aslam Nawaz, Additional Secretary Finance, Arifullah Khan, Special Secretary Home Department, Zubair Ahmed, DG Health, Dr Shaukat, Director EPI, Dr Arif, Representative of Public Health Engineering, Team Leads UNICEF, WHO, N Stop, GHQ Liaison Officer, Col Shahid, were present while all commissioners and Deputy Commissioners joined the meeting virtually.
Ikramullah Khan Gandapur said that it was unfortunate that Pakistan was among the
last two countries that were still endemic for polio and was a threat to children in the rest of the world.
He said that vaccination should not be incentivized as this would encourage other people to link vaccination with various demands and asked the stakeholders to mull over viable solutions for demand-based refusals.
He also directed for constitution of two different committees under the chair of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Home and relevant secretaries to resolve the issue of campaign staggering in the southern KP and one committee under Additional Chief Secretary P and D for realignment of donor-driven projects with polio lens.
SMBR highly appreciated and acknowledged the efforts of all the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) during anti-polio drives, saying that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) were on the frontline of the noble and national cause of polio eradication and making inroads in the war against polio was not possible without the hard work and dedication of these frontline workers.
He rei
terated strong commitment for polio eradication saying challenges will not dampen their spirits and divert their focus saying that we will not leave any stone unturned for making this region polio-free and stopping virus transmission.
He directed commissioners and deputy commissioners to implement the action points pending at their end to plug the gaps and underscored the need for strengthening of PEI/EPI synergy.
Earlier, special secretary health for Polio Eradication Abdul Basit had a detailed presentation on epidemiology, a comparative analysis of the October and November rounds of NIDs, SIAs calender for 2024, and key asks from the forum.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the partner organization, district administration and representatives of LEAs for all the support for polio eradication and for the protection of children from lifelong disabilities.