RAWALPINDI: Punjab Caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Dr Jamal Nasir on Monday said that the immunisation rate of children in Punjab is the highest in the country, which is possible only because of the integrated system in the health sector and public awareness. He said this while addressing participants of a media workshop.

It was organised in collaboration with Department of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Punjab and Unicef. On this occasion, besides media representatives, Director Health Rawalpindi Dr Anser Ishaq, World Health Organisation (WHO) Divisional Officer Dr Asif Sehgal, Unicef Immunisation Officer Quratul Ain, Unicef Punjab Health Specialist Dr Manzoor and others were also present.

Dr Nasir said that the Department of Primary and Secondary Health has created a system for repair of damaged medical machinery under which any machine in a government hospital or primary health centre will be reported on the online system called ‘Barq’.

A complaint will be lodged, after which engineers from the health department will reach the spot within 24 hours and repair the same, he added. He said that revolutionary measures have been taken in the health sector in four months under which 52,000 prisoners have been tested for hepatitis A, B and C, tuberculosis, AIDS and other diseases in all jails of Punjab and vaccinations have been done.

He said that 17,000 police personnel and officers have been tested, adding that the Department of Primary and Secondary Health has created capacity for more than 1,000 ad-hoc recruitments in four and a half months to address the shortage of human resources in the Health Department.

Dr Nasir said that special attention is being paid to cleanliness in all government treatment centres and three colours of bed sheets have been fixed in emergency wards of all hospitals to ensure that the sheets are changed every day.

He said that special arrangements have been made to clean bathrooms in government treatment centres. Dr Sehgal said that with the help of immunisation, protection is provided to people from 12 dangerous diseases and it is the responsibility of every citizen to immunise their children in every case.

Ms Qaratul Ain said that the media should broadcast public service messages to create awareness about the importance of immunisation.

Earlier, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director Punjab Dr Mukhtar

Ahmed Awan said that at present, minor children are being given a dose against 12 diseases in which 10 are injectable and only two are oral in the shape of drops.

He said that the vaccines and drops that are given to children are recommended by WHO and cost about $400 per child but the government is providing them to minors free-of-cost.

“Every child is provided EPI dose seven times from birth to the age of 18 months to complete the course. The first dose is given just after birth and the minor gets the last dose when he or she turns 18 months old,” Dr Awan added.

He told participants that some 3.3 million children are born every year only in Punjab province but due to good management of the Punjab government, 92 percent of the children have been covered up by EPI, which is the highest in the country. The increase in coverage was recorded 32 percent from 2011 to 2022 in Punjab.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2023