PM calls to redouble efforts against polio

Posted on 9 months ago

ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday stressed to redouble efforts against polio by effective involvement of all stakeholders.
Chairing a meeting of National Task Force on Polio Eradication, the Prime Minister said that eradicating polio was a question of the lives of children as well as the country’s honour and prestige in the comity of nations. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s Ambassador for Polio Eradication, was also present in the meeting. The Prime Minister noted with satisfaction reporting of fewer cases (27) as compared to the corresponding period last year (71).
He said that the polio virus was now restricted from 28 to 13 districts and added that the campaign coverage had been enhanced progressively with 80 percent districts reporting 95 percent coverage as compared to 42 percent during last year.
The Prime Minister appreciated the fact that the country’s largest city Karachi had so far not reported a single case. He commended the Sindh Chief Minister and all political parties of the city on being together on this issue. He mentioned that Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho played an outstanding role in bringing together all the stakeholders in Sindh.
In FATA, Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the key challenge of inaccessibility was being met with civil-military coordination mechanism.
He regretted the ban on anti-polio campaign announced by certain elements and asked the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure that the campaign activity resumes and the children get vaccinated.
In Balochistan, the Prime Minister said that the cases this year had only been restricted to Quetta and no other district reported any case. He said that besides marked improvement, it also highlighted gaps in the campaign quality in Quetta. He directed the Chief Secretary, Balochistan to personally supervise the campaign in this critical area.
The Prime Minister said though Punjab had not reported any case outside the southern belt, there was a need for special focus in that area, particularly South Punjab. He said that the governments of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir deserved credit for maintaining the polio-free status so far this year. The Prime Minister appreciated the chief ministers, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu Kashmir, senior government officials and heads of the partner agencies for demonstrating strong commitment for the polio eradication.
He said that the National Task Force on Polio Eradication represented a common resolve to collectively respond to the challenge posed to the children’s health and well-being.
He said that the forum was an opportunity to identify critical areas and for recommending workable solutions in a campaign that faced diverse challenges in different parts of the country.
The Prime Minister said that he had been kept informed on regular basis by the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Shahnaz Wazir Ali, of the status of polio eradication activities.
He strongly called for drawing on the parliamentarians and religious leaders to join hands in leading the campaign. He expressed satisfaction over 730 Ulema supporting the cause of polio eradication and added that all District Khateebs had been asked to become active part of the initiative all over the country.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Regional Director, World Health Organization, Dr Ala Alwan, who flew all the way from Cairo especially to attend the National Task Force meeting. He also lauded the support of the World Health Organization to the cause of protecting children against polio and also the support of Islamic Development Bank.

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