ISLAMABAD: Even though the international health community has labeled Pakistan’s polio eradication programme ‘a disaster’ and recommended that the government hand over its control to the National Disaster Management Authority, the government still looks like it is trying to sweep these startling revelations under the rug.

At a briefing held to apprise women parliamentarians of the situation of polio in the country on Tuesday, officials from the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) made no mention of these hair-raising facts and, instead, focused on how several of the recommendations – made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) report – were already being implemented in Pakistan.

Also read: Unicef warned of polio funding cut

Conducted by the NHS ministry, the briefing held at Parliament House included information on the benefits of immunisation, the long-term impact of immunisation campaigns around the world and details on the workings of the proposed Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which is supposed to serve as the nerve centre of the anti-polio drive in the country.

But what the parliamentarians were not told as they were shown the proposed EOC organogram was that the IMB report has explicitly called the proposed body “a masterpiece of obscurity” and describes it as “bureaucratic and confusing”.

On Tuesday, the EOC was presented to parliamentarians as a success and officials described ongoing work including the finalisation of the concept, structure and mechanisms of the EOC. But the IMB report, talking about the same organogram, says on Page 17, “If the Pakistan polio virus could read organograms, it would be revelling in its good fortune”.

The IMB report rejects the EOC proposed by Pakistan and calls it “a pale imitation of its vibrant Nigerian counterpart”. The Nigerian EOC, the report says, was characterised by clear and powerful leadership and even helped the country deal with an Ebola outbreak. “The leadership of Pakistan’s EOC is neither clear nor powerful,” the report said.

But Expanded Programme of Immunisation’s (EPI) Director Surveillance Dr Ejaz Ahmed Khan told parliamentarians that recruitment of key staff for the EOC, such as emergency coordinator, high-risk coordinator and communications coordinator, was in process.

Officials at the briefing said that partner agencies would depute full-time experts to the EOC and claimed that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is also assisting with the establishment of the centres.

However, an official from the NHS ministry expressed doubts over the funding claim, saying that it was strange that the Gates Foundation would be assisting the EOC after the IMB – which reports directly to donors such as the Gates foundation – had only bad things to say about the proposed body.

“As many as 227 polio cases have been reported in 2014, which is a record-high for the last 13 years. Before this, the highest number of cases reported was 199 in the year 2000. Unfortunately, the stakeholders are not serious about the issue of polio and did not even bother to share the correct information with parliamentarians,” he said.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Ejaz Ahmed Khan said that the briefing was held to inform women parliamentarians about the issue. “They took an interest in the briefing and, hopefully, they will play an effective role for the eradication of polio from the country,” he said.

Asked why the parliamentarians were not told about the harrowing assertions made by the

IMB Dr Khan said that NHS Minister Saira Afzal Tarar had said that a meeting will be held on Wednesday, where certain ‘important decisions’ are expected.

An official press release issued on Tuesday claimed that women parliamentarians had decided to take a lead in improving the situation of polio immunisation in the country.

The statement quoted Ms Tarar as saying that Pakistan was all set to introduce the Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV), as recommended by the IMB, by next year.

Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2014