PESHAWAR, Feb 15: The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) is implementing a two-year plan in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to boost the coverage of vaccination and save children from preventable diseases.

"Two million children die world wide of ailments such as polio, tetanus, measles, diphtheria, TB and hepatitis-B, which can be prevented through proper vaccination," said Dr Wahid Khan, Deputy Director of the EPI, here on Tuesday.

Speaking at a workshop jointly organized by the EPI and Unicef to hammer out a communication plan for the year 2005-6, he said that in the NWFP about 72 per cent of children had been brought under the cover of the immunization plan and stressed the need to enhance the coverage to 80 per cent in the next two years.

Launched in 1976 as a pilot project in Peshawar and Nowshera districts, the EPI was made a regular department in 1996. Now it has 742 permanent centres besides 982 outreach teams, which were required to cover 17 per cent children blow five years of the 20 million population of the Frontier province.

"Lack of awareness, inaccessible areas, fragile security, shortage of supervisors, non-availability of electricity in some areas and insufficient monitoring and supervision are the main problems in the smooth-functioning of the programme," Dr Khan, said.

He was of the view that vaccine was abundantly available at EPI centres free of cost and parents should bring their children to get them vaccinated. Dr Khan said that brakes had been applied on the spread of polio as its number of cases had come down to eight in 2004, compared to 33 in 2003 and efforts are afoot to eradicate the disease by December 2005.

"We have decided to involve religious leaders, schoolchildren, media people, district governments and line departments to achieve the coverage target for the next two years," he said.

He said under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) programme, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation chief Bill Gates, the NWFP had received a grant of Rs337 million which was being spent on the recruitment of 100 staffers and purchase of 200 motorcycles.

"About 100 motorcycles have been handed over to the executive district officers (health), while 100 more are in the pipeline. Likewise, 50 technicians have been appointed and as many more will be recruited this year," Dr Khan added.

Speaking on the occasion, Unicef's communication officer Suleman Malik said that about 70 per cent of parents knew the importance of immunization and underlined the need to sensitize more people to broaden the coverage.

Mr Malik said that Unicef fully supported the health ministry's efforts to eradicate seven immunizable childhood diseases from the country. "An EPI card campaign through scouts, girl guides, women councillors, private medical practitioners and traditional healers is being launched to promote immunization," he added.

He told the audience that Unicef was in consultation with the NRB, district nazims, medical associations and was planning to hold atabibs'conference to boost the immunization campaign.

Likewise, he added, posters on EPI campaign, hepatitis-B, vitamin A, banners, brochures, stickers and CDs besides a campaign for radio, TV and satellite channels had been proposed to raise the level of awareness regarding the EPI.

Director-General of health, Dr Jalilur Rehman, chief of health sector research and reforms unit, Dr Mohammad Rafique, Unicef's Dr Rajwal Khan, EDO (health) Dr Mosam Khan, Nazim Upper Dir Sahibzada Tariqullah, MNA Shahida Akhtar, MPAs Naeema Kishwar, Sabira Shakir and Nargis Zain also spoke on the occasion. They appreciated Unicef efforts to improve the EPI services and stressed the need for more practical measures to do away with childhood diseases.