Home / Health / Govt urged to go an extra mile for eradication of polio

Govt urged to go an extra mile for eradication of polio

January 13, 2019 Health Comments Off on Govt urged to go an extra mile for eradication of polio 355 Views

ISLAMABAD: Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Polio Chairman Dr Jean Marc Olivé on Saturday urged the government to go extra mile to free Pakistan from the crippling disease.

Chairing the concluding session of TAG here, he said Pakistan was in a good position to stop polio in the very near future with the exceptional political commitment, strong coordination under the umbrella of Emergency Operations Centre and a strategy – the National Emergency Action Plan – which was delivering results.

“I urge everyone to continue the work they have been doing. Karachi and Peshawar are the primary areas of concern for the programme, and this is where the extra efforts are needed,” he said.

Dr Olivé also appreciated the work of polio frontline workers who work tirelessly in all weather conditions, and across all terrains, to ensure that each and every child in every community is vaccinated and fully protected from polio.

The group met on Jan 11-12 in Islamabad to assess the programme progress, opportunities and the remaining challenges towards achieving the goal of stopping transmission of the poliovirus.

Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Babar Bin Atta said the government was committed to eradicating the poliovirus.

“I suggest that all parents should ensure that their children would be vaccinated. Civil society, media and religious scholars should also play their role to create awareness. I am hopeful the virus would be completely eradicated from Pakistan during year 2019,” he said.

Director General Ministry of National Health Services Dr Asad Hafeez said though the last mile to eradicate the virus was most difficult the government was committed to doing so.

National Coordinator Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Dr Rana Safdar said children who were missed during the campaigns become reason for the spread of poliovirus.

“However we are focussing more on the areas where poliovirus is present and hope that things will improve soon,” he said

Tags

Check Also

QUETTA: Two former chief ministers of Balochistan, Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, on Sunday emphasised that the solution to Balochistan’s issues can only be achieved by political means, not through the use of force. They asserted that the country’s future is intricately linked with the supremacy of democracy and the strengthening of political forces. These views were expressed at the 5th Asma Jahangir Conference held in Lahore. Mr Mengal, president of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal), stated, “If someone wants to resolve the issues of Balochistan, it must be done through political hands, not by guns.” Sardar Mengal stated that there were already rumours before the general election that the BNP would hardly be given a seat. While discussing the matter, he questioned whom to approach for talks. Akhtar Mengal, Malik Baloch urge importance of democracy in shaping the country’s future National Party President Dr Malik Baloch echoed similar thoughts in his speech at the conference. He emphasised that the country’s future hinges on the supremacy of democracy and the strengthening of political parties. He criticised the weakness of political parties, which, he argued, has empowered the establishment to rule the country according to its will. He expressed concerns about the current government and parliament, labelling them as the weakest institutions in history. “At present, the country’s constitution is seeking self-preservation,” he said, adding that elections were rigged across the country, including Balochistan, and the buying and selling of votes was rampant. “Popular public leaders were ousted from parliament, and those brought in were not politically affiliated and had no connection with people,” Dr Malik said, adding that instead of spending heavy sums of money, parliamentary seats were bartered, marking one of the most shameful chapters in political history.

ISLAMABAD: A vaccination campaign to immunise more than 24 million children under the age of …

Managed By: Tech Couplers