KARACHI: Anti-polio drive volunteers get no compensation
By Nizamuddin Siddiqui
KARACHI, July 20: The most recent anti-polio drive faced a lot of criticism on a number of accounts, including non-payment of compensation to the volunteers in some areas and the alleged use of expired vials of anti-polio drops.
However, the health authorities claimed that all was well and there were no such complaints. They said that the performance of the Expanded Programme on Immunization staff during the National Immunization Days was found satisfactory.
Some sources told Dawn that there had been many complaints during the recent National Immunization Days (NIDs), observed from July 13 to 15. One complaint pertained to the non- payment of compensation to the volunteers in some areas of Karachi.
Similarly, there were rumours that expired vials of anti-polio drops had been administered to children during the National Immunization Days. "Some people say that about 2,500 expired vials were supplied in Karachi and 300 in Thatta," said a source.
He said that the people, who either complained of the non-payment of wages or supply of expired vials, were treated badly by the authorities. "Stern action was taken against some doctors in this regard," he added.
They claimed that doctors involved in volunteer work in Keamari were guilty of such 'unseemly' behaviour and were promptly removed as a result. About the polio cases, sources said, the situation had not come under control even in Karachi as a couple of cases were found in the city.
They said that 19 cases of polio had been reported in the country this year as compared with 16 cases reported in India. Sources added that one major reason for the alleged mismanagement during the NIDs was the removal of provincial project director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization right in the middle of the three-day drive.
But the adviser to the chief minister on health, Faisal Malik, said that it was mere coincidence. "This does not reflect badly on anything because the removal was a routine matter," he said. When asked, he agreed that everything was fine during the NIDs.
The adviser expressed hope that polio would be eradicated from Sindh by the end of this year. "We are doing our best and we hope to achieve this target by December," he added.
Mr Malik said he had travelled to most of the cities in the province during the drive and was satisfied with the performance of the EPI staff. "Not only I went to these places myself but also took along my secretary and director-general to monitor the campaign," he added.
Speaking of the polio cases which were detected in Karachi recently, he said: "This is a difficult city to handle and monitor because of the high number of migrants. The fresh cases that you are talking about often involve families which have come to Karachi from other provinces," he added.
He elaborated that one such case involved a family which had migrated recently from Dera Ghazi Khan. "Similarly, there are cases in which Afghan families are involved," he added.
The adviser claimed that the supply of expired vaccines was simply not possible during the NIDs. Secretary Health Ashique H. Memon and Director-General Health Qadir Bakhsh Memon also denied that expired vaccines were supplied to the vaccinators. However, Qadir Memon agreed that some vials might have been rendered useless due to non- maintenance of the required temperature.
