PESHAWAR, Jan 6: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has urged the officials concerned to strengthen the vaccination programme to cope with vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. “We have recorded only five cases in 2005. It is a big achievement considering the fact that the number of cases was eight in 2004, 28 in 2003 and 33 in 2002,” the minister told a function organised by the health department in connection with distribution of 150 motorcycles and 420 bicycles among workers of the expanded programme on immunization (EPI) here on Friday.

He urged the executive district officers (EDOs), health to check absenteeism of doctors and health workers to put brakes on the diseases.

The minister said that the government had already handed over 100 motorcycles under the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to EPI workers with a view to ensure their accessibility to far-off and remote areas.

The minister was of the view that indeed polio eradication was a tiresome exercise, but reiterated that it would be eradicated completely from the country through public mobilisation and relentless vaccination campaigns.

He said that the government had decided to focus on preventive measures for diseases and in this connection a day-long workshop was being organised for the heads of tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS and other programmes.

Mr Khan said that funds had been allocated by the government for public mobilisation programmes in the budget.

The secretary, health, Abdus Samad Khan said that the NWFP was often blamed by Punjab for exporting the polio virus, but now it has been conveyed to the Punjab health department to take measures to stop exporting polio virus from their province to the NWFP.

He said that he had asked Punjab to monitor the people’s movement from Dera Ghazi Khan to Dera Ismail Khan to ensure that polio virus was not exported to the Frontier province.

Deputy Director EPI Dr Waheed Khan said that the motorcycles would be utilised in quake-hit areas.