LAKKI MARWAT: The community engagement sessions arranged by district health department have proved helpful to reduce refusal cases against anti-polio vaccine in remote areas of the district.

It was disclosed during a meeting of district polio eradication committee held here on Thursday with Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Kabir Afridi in the chair.

DHO Dr Abdugul, DDHO Dr Kifayat Betani, EPI coordinator Dr Omer Faisal, LHW coordinator Dr Tariq Saleem Marwat, DEO Ms Azra, district Khateeb Maulana Abdul Wahab, WHO representative Dr Faheem Wazir and area coordinator Dr Sajjad and officials of line departments attended the meeting.

“During the last month anti-polio drive, the teams did not face any demand-based refusals in Abdulkhel union council. The residents of the area had refused to vaccinate their children in the previous campaigns as a protest against power loadshedding,” said a health official.

Meeting finalises arrangements for January 21 drive

He said that parents were convinced to vaccinate their children during the community engagement sessions in different rural localities.

The participants of the meeting reviewed and finalised arrangements for the upcoming anti-polio drive to be launched on January 21.

The deputy commissioner showed displeasure over non-implementation of the decisions made in the previous meeting. He said that administration would deal with negligent officials of line departments engaged in anti-polio drives.

CENTRE: The elders of Meenakhel tribe have decided to set up a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Lakki city and make concerted efforts to control use of narcotics.

The decision was made in a meeting chaired by former tehsil nazim Advocate Fareedullah Khan Meenakhel at his residence here on Thursday. Dr Gul Rehman, Abidur Rehman Khan, Shakirullah Khan, Zubair Khan, Kamal Khan and other elders attended the meeting.

The participants of the meeting expressed concerns over increase of drug abuse in the area and said that it was need of the hour to make efforts to curb the menace. They said that number of drug addicts was on the rise in the area and the district lacked rehabilitation and reformation facility for them.

“The elders of Meenakhel tribe are taking the initiative to establish a rehabilitation centre in the town to provide complete treatment and healthcare to drug addicts,” said Fareedullah Khan.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2018