LAKKI MARWAT: Deputy commissioner Ihsanullah Khan has said that poor performance of the health department and other relevant organisations is responsible for the increasing number of polio refusal cases in the district.

Chairing a meeting of district polio eradication committee at his office on Thursday, he underlined the need for launching concerted efforts to wipe out the crippling disease from the district and asked the health authorities to focus on refusal cases in the upcoming campaign.

Assistant commissioner Sher Alam Khan, DHO Dr Nek Nawaz, education officials Abdul Rehman Rashid and Hamidullah Khan, district khateeb Maulana Abdul Wahab, and representatives of WHO and Unicef were also present on the occasion.

“All is well on the papers and documents, but there are no signs of any fruitful activity on the ground to cover the refusal cases,” the DC said. He said that the health officials and representatives of health organisations were repeatedly directed to chalk out a plan in coordination with the district administration for ensuring coverage of refusal cases in the district, but to no avail.

He warned that the government officials, especially health staffers, with poor performance during anti-polio campaigns would be sent to jail.

The deputy commissioner said that poor and unsatisfactory performance of health department had put the district administration in embarrassing situation. He said that the government employees reluctant to immunise their children against polio would be arrested.

EPI coordinator Dr Hafeezullah said that the district health department had constituted 491 teams to vaccinate 161,754 children under age five.

RAISING DAM: Raising of Baran dam will enhance its water storage capacity, which would benefit the farmers in both Lakki and Bannu districts.

Irrigation officials said this during a briefing to MPA Noor Saleem Khan in Bannu on Thursday. They said that the project had been included in the provincial Annual Developmental Programme.

The MPA said that the projects of raising of dam and rehabilitation of Marwat canal were important for prosperity of the residents of Lakki Marwat. He thanked Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for approving the dam raising project.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2015

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