CHITRAL: The district administration will involve teachers and Class-IV employees of the government schools during the forthcoming national immunisation days starting from May 31 in Arandu area bordering Afghanistan.

The decision came at a meeting of the district polio eradication committee (DPEC) held here the other day and chaired by additional deputy commissioner Hayat Shah.

The participants noted that till date only volunteers carried out the campaigns as field workers in Arandu, which created problems.

They said only government servants should be engaged for carrying out the vaccination drive as they would also ensure the same day reporting of the progress on the vaccination, which became impossible in the case of volunteers.

EPI coordinator Dr Farman Nizar told the meeting that the immunisation campaign would be carried out with new demarcations based on village and neighbourhood councils instead of union councils which were no more part of the local government system.

Additional deputy commissioner Hayat Shah expressed his anguish over the absence of the heads of various departments during the meeting.

He said the departmental heads were the ex-officio members of the DPEC, and warned that the district administration would approach the respective administrative secretaries if any officer showed laxity in future.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2021