LAHORE: The four-day sub-national immunisation days (SNIDs) campaign will be launched in selected high risk districts of Punjab on Oct 24.

This was stated by Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director Dr Munir Ahmed in his presentation on National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication (NEAP) 2016-17 during the monthly meeting of executive district officers (health) here on Sunday.

The meeting was informed that the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) results for polio national immunisation days (NIDs) in September were 93 per cent much above the pass benchmark but the troubled union councils still needed to be analysed in detail.

It was decided to further fine-tune the immunisation programme in Punjab by analysing child level data and to add Vaccine Vial Monitor column in reporting tools for polio workers in compliance with a Supreme Court decision.

The meeting reviewed the status of Basic Health Units (BHUs) and decided that facilities and resources there needed to be improved. The chief minister road map team also presented analysis on key performance indicators for primary and secondary healthcare. The status of safe deliveries, presence and posting of medical officers and consultant besides availability of janitorial services were also reviewed through data analysis.

Integrated Reproductive Maternal and Neonatal and Child Health & Nutrition Programme (IRMNCH & NP) Director Dr Akhtar Rashid presented detailed analysis of the programme while urging the districts to extend their support for it.

Presiding over the meeting, Chief Minister Adviser on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique directed the EDOs (health) to comply with new indicators of NEAP 2016-17.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Ali Jan Khan, while reviewing the immunisation efforts in the southern districts, asked the EDOs to prepare special immunisation plans for riverine areas. He said preventive healthcare was under special focus and based on study of successful models in the region and the world, new initiatives would be introduced by the start of 2017.

Mr Rafique stressed that in case of a suspected diphtheria case, mop up should be conducted in surrounding 40 households while in case of mortality all children below five years in the area should be administered Penta dose.

Published in Dawn October 10th, 2016