PESHAWAR: The World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the delay in polio campaign in Peshawar and demanded immediate vaccination of local children to protect them against the crippling virus likely to be transmitted by the displaced population of the nearby Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.

“The problem of not launching the much-needed vaccination campaign in Peshawar lies squarely with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, which hasn’t paid vaccinators for three months. The department is supposed to submit financial reconciliation reports regarding details of the previous campaigns to the financer, the UAE government, to receive money for payment to vaccinators,” senior polio coordinator of the WHO in Pakistan Dr Elias Durry told Dawn on Friday.

Read: Vaccinators not paid for seven campaigns

Dr Durry said the administrative problem on part of the health department had put the health of Peshawar’s children at risk as the city was reported 19 polio cases, the largest in the country after Karachi, which had seen 24 of the current year’s 257 countrywide cases.

Blames it on non-payment of dues to vaccinators by health department

He said the frequent movement of internally displaced children from polio-endemic tribal region was a matter of grave concern and that under such circumstances, there was a dire need to ensure that children get vaccination.

“The WHO wants the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department to launch immediate campaigns in Peshawar. Urgent vaccination in Peshawar is detrimental to polio eradication in the country,” he said.

Also read: Three-day polio campaign launched in Khyber Agency

The WHO’s senior polio coordinator said Bara had reported 55 of Khyber Agency’s 64 cases during the current year and that the children from the restive tehsil visited Peshawar occasionally.

He said in many Peshawar polio cases, the virus was originated from Bara.

According to the relevant officials, around 4,000 vaccinators not paid for their previous work are unwilling to take part in vaccination campaigns until they are paid arrears.

Dr Durry asked the health department to take stock of the situation to stop circulation of virus, he said.

He said the fresh polio cases from Bara and Peshawar were a sign of a dangerous situation, which warranted urgent attention to protect those at the risk of contracting the disease from infected children.

“The local children, too, stand exposed to the unvaccinated displaced children from the areas with polio outbreaks like Bara,” he said.

The WHO coordinator said UAE supposed to pay the amount to vaccinators as part of its support to polio campaigns in the province wanted the health department to submit financial reports of its previous activities to it for due payments.

“Not conducting vaccination campaign in Peshawar isn’t acceptable at this critical juncture. Infected children from Bara have increased the risk of others being infected,” he said.

Officials in health department say they need security for polio campaign in Peshawar for which they have requested the government.

According to them, vaccinators want payment of dues to resume work but the UAE sponsoring vaccination in the province has yet to provide the department with due money.

When contacted, Peshawar deputy commissioner Syed Zaheerul Islam said the administration was holding a meeting to conduct a one-day polio campaign in the city.

He said the polio vaccination schedule for Peshawar was different from that of the rest of the country.

“Unlike three-day campaigns in other parts of the country, we conduct one-day drive in Peshawar. We have carried out two campaigns each in September and October,” he said.

The deputy commissioner said polio campaigns in Peshawar were conducted on Sundays with the police giving ‘full protection’ to health workers carrying it out.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2014