RAHIM YAR KHAN: Children in six high risk union councils (UCs) of Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad teshils were not administered anti-polio vaccine in some vaccination campaigns due to lacunae in the social mobilisation, Dawn has learnt.

Three union councils, namely 30-A Gulshan Iqbal, Bahudipur Qureshian and Badli Sharif of Rahim Yar Khan and three UCs, namely Bhong, Kot Sanjar Khan and Ranjhay Khan, of tesil Sadiqabad were declared high risk areas by Unicef and it had appointed its social mobilisation staff through consultants, Comnet and Chip ,there who are working with the coordination of the health department.

Abdul Hameed, Muhammad Saleem and Muhammad Amin, residents of Haji Ghazi union council, Badli Sharif, told Dawn their children Omar Ali, 3,Hafza Bibi, 1, Zeenat Bibi, 4, Shahana Bibi, 3, Farhana Bibi,1, and seven months old Athara Bibi were administered polio drops but not in all campaigns. Similarly, many residents of Basti Mithu Chohan, Basti Pir Wali Muhammad, Basti Allah Jawaya Karhood and Basti Zama Chohan, disclosed that their children Marium Bibi, 3, Ayesha Bibi, 3, Saima Bibi, 4, Ayesha Siddiqa, 4, Faqeeha Siddiqa, 3, Shafia Siddiqa, 1, Muhammad Javaid, 4, Muddasar Ali, 3, Muhammad Adeel, 4, Kalsoom, 2, and two-month-old Ghulam Fatima were administered polio drops only once or twice.

They said they were illiterate and did not maintain the record of dates for polio drops, depending only on polio teams for vaccination of their children.

According to basic health unit (BHU) staff, there are four employees of Chip, including a union council communication officer, and three social mobilizers, who mobilise the people of the area through social and religious persons, announcements in mosques for awareness and other means. But people of the area complain against their absence from duty.

District Health Communication Support Officer of Chip, Furqan Tahir, who is also a health department employee on leave, said he himself monitored the social mobilisation in each union council and Chip had talented mobilisation workers who were the residents of same union councils they were working in. He admitted there were some incidents of missing children during vaccination or refusals of polio vaccination in some areas of Badli Sharif due to religious, sectarian and feudal hurdles. He said in some areas their social mobilizers faced threats, however, adding that he would check all the gaps during polio vaccination before the next polio campaign going to start from Sept 29.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Hasan Khan said Badli Sharif was a rural area and there were some landlords with strong religious norms and sometimes they avoided to vaccinate their against polio. He said he himself visited these rural areas many times for motivating the people and changed their negative thoughts about polio vaccination.

Published in Dawn, September 27th , 2014