RAWALPINDI: Following differences between the local World Health Organisation (WHO) team and the district health department over the details of an anti-polio campaign to be held in two union councils (UCs) of Rawalpindi for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the drive has been reduced from two days to one. The campaign will be held on Saturday.

A WHO official insisted that the health department launch a two-day campaign at Girja Road, Dhama Syedan, Dheri Hasanabad and adjoining cantonment areas after a police report said families from North Waziristan had arrived there. A meeting was held on Thursday to decide whether or not to launch the campaign.

A health department official told Dawn that WHO Regional Coordinator Sarwart Boobak conveyed the organisation’s message to Executive District Health Officer Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal to launch a two-day campaign.

She said the WHO was insisting that the IDPs be vaccinated against polio before the disease spreads to safe areas. Therefore it was necessary to launch drives where families have arrived.

Anti-polio drive for IDPs fails to achieve its endَِ

An official revealed that Dr Gondal felt that there was no need for a two-day campaign in the two UCs as an emergency one-day campaign had already been launched by the health department and no family from NWA was found in the area.

He said the health department teams had already vaccinated more than 20,000 children in the two UCs.

“The police reports may be incorrect as many Pakhtun families have resided in the area for years and have never refused to vaccinate their children,” he said.

He added that it would be a waste for vaccinators to launch a campaign in areas that have already been covered three times in the last month by one emergency and two routine campaigns.

However, after a long discussion, it has been decided that a one-day emergency campaign will be launched on Saturday.

Another official told Dawn that the health department would launch the campaign half-heartedly. He added that the existing children had already been vaccinated, and that very few families have arrived in the district with most residing in Taxila. The two families that moved to Fauji Colony did not have any children under the age of five.

The official added that the WHO officials were unaware of the ground reality, and often relied on reports from other sources. He said more than 200 vaccinators went door-to-door on July 19, and did not find any new family from the NWA. When contacted, Dr Gondal agreed that there were differences over the launch of the campaign.

“We have already launched three campaigns in the area, which is enough for this month. More campaigns will be launched after Eidul Fitr. We want to save the energy of the vaccinators for the coming campaigns in August,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2014