PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has directed accelerated efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis and ensure safe and healthy future of children in Fata. He ordered the authorities concerned to mobilise all resources during the ongoing drive in the tribal region to ensure its success.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Task Force on Polio Eradication at Governors House on Monday, according to a statement issued here. The meeting discussed progress of polio eradication campaign in Fata and made decisions to make the drive result-oriented.

The meeting was attended by additional chief secretary Fida Wazir, commissioners of Malakand, Bannu, Kohat, DI Khan and Peshawar divisions as well as political agents and agency surgeons.

The governor said it was the result of joint efforts that marked improvement had been made in polio eradication efforts in the past two years in Fata.

Chairs meeting of Task Force on Polio Eradication at Governor House

Mr Jhagra said the government accorded top priority to eradicating children diseases and every child must get free vaccination during the campaign to stay safe from polio. He also praised the work done by health workers with regard to prevention of polio virus and asked them to sustain the effort to make the country free of the childhood ailment.

The governor emphasised the need for further beefing up the ongoing efforts and streamlining the coordination among various agencies and administrative bodies with the health department. Effective preventive measures, he added, were a must to avoid fresh outbreaks.

TIMERGARA: A three-day anti-polio campaign began in Lower Dir on Monday. Deputy commissioner Irfanullah Wazir directed all stakeholders to make the drive a success by utilising all available resources.

Talking to Dawn Mr Wazir appreciated performance of the stakeholders during the previous campaigns against polio. He hoped that the ongoing campaign would also be carried out with utmost zeal and enthusiasm. He said 2,300 police officials and 500 Dir Levies personnel had been deployed for providing foolproof security to health workers in all parts of the district.

District health officer Dr Shaukat Ali told journalists that a total of 286,682 children along with 6,829 Afghan children would be administered anti-polio and vitamin-A drops.

He said a total of 768 mobile, 71 fixed and 39 transit teams had been formed for the drive. He said Lower Dir had been polio-free since 2006 and all the stakeholders would be engaged in the campaign to maintain its status.

The DHO said there had been no refusal cases in the district. He also administered anti-polio and vitamin-A drops to children at DHQ hospital Timergara.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2016