LAHORE, Jan 23: Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed on Monday inaugurated a three-day anti-polio vaccination campaign at the Children’s Hospital.

During the last year, 10 new polio cases were reported from Punjab reducing the number from 16 in 2004 and 23 in

2003.

During the current campaign, which will formally begin from Tuesday (today), the health department is expected to vaccinate some 15.2 million children up to the age of five years.

The health department has constituted 37,286 EPI teams, which will visit door-to-door and vaccinate children.

In order to monitor the campaign, the health department has deputed 1,157 zonal supervisors, 6,224 area in charges and 270 campaign support persons.

Speaking on the occasion, health minister Dr Javed said the government’s polio eradication strategy had almost wiped out this fatal disease from the province.

For the prosperity of the masses, he said, the complete elimination of fatal diseases was highly required. He said the government would also launch a campaign against Hepatitis-B and C on the lines of the anti-polio campaign.

The minister also urged Ulema to come forward and help the government create awareness among general public about polio.

Children’s Hospital project director Prof Tahir Masood, medical superintendent Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Director-General Health Services, Punjab, Dr Aslam Chaudhry and representatives of the WHO and Unicef attended the inaugural session.

ADP: Dr Javed directed medical superintendents of government hospitals that they should undertake daily inspection for improvement of functional and administrative affairs of their respective hospitals.

He stressed that all development projects should be completed in hospitals well in time.

He said the MS’s should also ensure cleanliness conditions, proper maintenance of medical equipment and polite attitude of medical staff to patients and their attendants.

The minister issued these directions while chairing a departmental meeting to review the utilization of annual development programme.