Vaccination prevents daily 1000 children in Pakistan

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Health Khalil Tahir Sindhu has said that lives of about 1000 children below five years of age are saved in Pakistan daily through immunization. He said that annually Rs. 23 billion are being spent on immunization in Punjab. He said that government is providing free of cost immunization facility against nine diseases of children and people should get benefit from this facility and ensure completion of routine immunization course of their children for creating a healthy society.

He expressed these views while giving media briefing on the occasion of World Immunization Day, here today. Secretary Health Hassan Iqbal, DG Health Dr. Zahid Pervaiz, Director Health (EPI) Dr. Munir Ahmed, EDO Health Lahore, Dr. Zulfiqar and other senior officers of the department were present in the briefing. Health Minister further said that government is spending rupees three thousand on average on immunization of each child. Khalil Tahir Sindhu further said that international partners, GAVI, UNICEF, JICA and other donors agencies were fully supporting immunization programme in Punjab.

Health Minister urged upon media to extend their full support to counter the negative propaganda against vaccination. He said that media support is needed for advocacy to increase immunization coverage. He said that vaccines are safe and used across the world and there are no negative effects of these vaccines. While responding to a question, he said that weaknesses in routine immunization system are being removed and government is focusing on strengthening of Primary Health Care System and improving the routine immunization coverage in remote districts.

On this occasion, Secretary Health informed that no shortage of vaccines and logistic in Punjab. He said that government is providing vaccination facility at BHU, RHC, THQ, DHQ and Teaching Hospitals, as well as at union council level. Moreover anti-tetanus injection inoculated to the pregnant women so that the new born child could be saved. He said that pneumococcal vaccine PCV 10 was introduced in 2012 whereas Rota Virus Vaccine for Diarrhea is planned to be introduced in 2015, as in Pakistan, pneumonia and diarrhea are main killers of children. He told that at present 7500 vaccination staff has been deputed for routine immunization in Punjab.