PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has directed the police, health department and administrative officials to take drastic steps to ensure security to the vaccination staff during the forthcoming anti-polio campaign in the province.

The instructions were issued at a high-level meeting held here on Friday chaired by the home and tribal affairs department secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah. The meet discussed security plan for the forthcoming anti-polio drive being launched in the province soon, according to a handout.

The home and tribal affairs secretary directed to chalk out a mutually agreed upon and well coordinated security plan for the campaign to achieve the desired results during the campaign. He asked the concerned officials of the health and police departments to leave no stone unturned so that the dangerous virus could be controlled from further escalation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Shah instructed the provincial police, divisional commissioners, and deputy commissioners to address the security issues of the vaccination teams and WHO staff on war-footing well before the launch of the campaign so that they could be able to conduct the campaign in full swing and also to carry out a post-polio campaign survey to identify the missed children.

The home secretary also asked the vaccination staff and WHO teams to coordinate with deputy commissioners and health department to make the drive a success.

Published in Dawn, November 22th , 2014