Vaccination campaign is continued in flood hit areas: Kh Salman

Lahore: Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Health, Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that the recent heavy floods badly affected 269 Union Councils of 18 districts in which 274 mobile medical team are busy to vaccinate women and children against seasonal and epidemic diseases. He said that so far 118129 children have been vaccinated against measles whereas 97231 children have been administered polio drops. He said that the target has been fixed to vaccinate 144991 children against measles while 169156 children to be given polio drops till 30^th September.

Khawaja Salman Rafique further said that so far 261079 flood affectees have been treated by the health mobile teams and at medical relief camps setup in the flood affected union councils. Moreover, on the direction of the Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif 30 teams of 11 Medical Colleges/Teaching Hospitals are conducting Third Party Validation in 16 districts. Khawaja Salman Rafique said that these special teams have been monitoring EPI coverage and medical relief activities carried out by the Health Department teams.

The special teams of medical colleges comprising on a Specialist Doctor, a Woman Medical Officer, a senior charge nurse, one para medics and one “Aya”. Every team has an ambulance for shifting any serious patient to the nearby health centre. Khawaja Salman further said that provision of safe drinking water to the flood hit people is a big challenge for which Health department has distributed 9,34000 aquacura tablets for purifying drinking water. He said that these tablets are sufficient for 9 million litter water. He disclosed that Health Department has a sufficient stock of Aquacura tablet which are sufficient for 10 million litter of water.

However, he said that UNICEF and WHO have been further requested to provide additional 2 million aquacura tablets. Kh. Salman Rafique said that pregnant women are being vaccinated and so far 48330 women have been vaccinated against tetanus.

Khawaja Salman Rafique said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif personally monitoring all relief and rehabilitation activities by paying hectic visits of flood affected areas on war footing basis and all the government machinery is involved day and night to carry out relief and rehabilitation work in flood affected areas. He said that Health Department is implementing on an emergency action plan to control epidemics and to provide treatment facilities to the flood affectees and Insha Allah we will succeed in our efforts.