Chief Secretary claims polio eradication in Punjab

Lahore: Chief Secretary Punjab Naveed Akram Cheema has said that no polio case has been reported in Punjab during the current year which reflects the good performance and hardworking of government departments. He directed that all the DCOs and officers of Health Department to sustain their efforts to keep the province polio-free.

Chief Secretary said that all the departments and officers have to continue their tireless efforts till the complete eradication of polio from the country. He directed that special attention should be paid on the high risk districts.

He said this while presiding over a high level meeting to review the Action Plan for Polio-Eradication, here today. Besides State Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Advisor on Helath Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Secretary Health Dr. Ijaz Munir, DCOs of all districts, representatives of WHO, UNICEF, Rotary Club and Melinda Gates Foundation also present in the meeting.

Secretary Health Dr. Ijaz Munir briefed the meeting about the current polio situation and steps taken by the government for its eradication. He informed that during current year, 8 polio cases have been reported in KPK, 44 in FATA and 4 cases in Sindh. He disclosed that so far, no polio case has been reported in Punjab. Secretary Health informed that additional technical support have been provided to Lahore and Rawalpindi districts and line departments have also been engaged for administering polio drops at the permanent check posts set up at border districts. He said that vigorous anti-polio campaigns have been carried out in the province. He also informed that more than 70 thousand children have been vaccinated at the permanent check posts on the entry points. On this occasion, Chief Secretary directed that present high quality anti-polio campaign should be continued and missing children as well as not available must be vaccinated.

State Minister Saira Afzal Tarar appreciating the efforts of Punjab government in polio eradication, said that the Punjab government’s performance is tremendous. She said that polio vaccine is very precious and maximum use of vaccine must be ensured to control its wastage.

Focal person on Polio Ayesha Raza Farooq said that although Punjab is a model province however, more efforts are required for complete eradication of polio.

While addressing the meeting, Khawaja Salman Rafiq said that we have to remove the loopholes of our system to fulfill the expectations of the people. He directed that the District Officers should ensure administration of polio drops to the children travelling with their parents through buses, trains and other means. He further said that polio teams should focus on administering drops in the Afghan camps and Pashtoon localities for complete eradication of polio.

The international partners present in the meeting while expressing their views, appreciated the efforts of Punjab government for polio eradication