SWABI: Doctors and paramedics have demanded that the upcoming anti-polio vaccination campaign should be conducted under the Pak Army’s supervision, otherwise, they won’t participate in it as a protest.

The demand was made by local leaders of Pakistan Medical Association (PDA) and Paramedical Association at a combined meeting here on Tuesday.

The meeting was called to devise a future line of action following the killing of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) district coordinator Dr Mohammad Yaqoob on Monday by unidentified motorcyclists.

The participants, including Dr Murad, PDA’s district president, and Abdul Hakim, paramedics’ local president, paid rich tributes to Dr Yaqoob. They assailed the government for failing to provide security to the immunisation staff.

The participants, mostly doctors and paramedical staff of district headquarters hospital and Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Shahmansoor, wore black armbands during their duty hours, and after 12pm, held the meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the doctor’s murder.

Banners were also hung from public sector hospitals inscribed with slogans demanding proper security to the doctors’ community. The participants demanded foolproof security for health staff during the anti-polio drive in the district, scheduled to start from December 14.

Later, the doctors and paramedics met with Deputy Commissioner Matiullah Khan and demanded of him to ensure arrest of the killers of the EPI coordinator and security to the health workers.

Mr Matiullah assured them that all possible steps would be taken to provide security to them and arrest the killers of the EPI chief.

When contacted, PDA’s district president Dr Murad told Dawn that the district administration had hinted at finding a clue to the killing of Dr Yaqoob.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015