CHITRAL: Authorities have decided to increase the number of polio teams for the upcoming vaccination drive in the villages of border area Arandu, keeping in view its sensitivity and mountainous topography.

They also decided to deploy a new transit team near Lowari tunnel on Chitral side to check every vehicle entering or leaving the district and vaccinate children below five years.

The decisions were taken in a meeting of district polio eradication committee. The meeting, presided over by Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Mohsin Iqbal, discussed and reviewed arrangements of sub-national immunisation days (SNID).

The district health officer, Dr Fayaz Roomi, briefed the meeting about the arrangements for the campaign and highlighted the issues hampering the drive including rugged topography and rigid tribal customs in the border area.

New transit point to be set up near Lowari tunnel

The deputy commissioner asked the officials of health department to make sure achievement of 100 per cent target for which district administration would go to any extent in providing resources to them.

He also directed the district health officer to remain in Arandu during the SNID to cope up with the emerging situation instantly and ensure transmission of daily report of vaccination to the operation centre in the district headquarters.

He said that polio was a national emergency and no laxity was tolerable in the efforts to wipe out the disease from the motherland. He said that administration would provide vehicles and horses to vaccinators to reach hard and mountainous areas.

The district police officer, Iftikhar Shah, also assured the meeting of providing security to polio teams in Arandu area to vaccinate every child below five years. He said that policewomen performed additional duty of vaccination during the last campaign.

The district officer of population welfare, Asghar Khan, offered the services of 17 female and 17 male officials of his field force for the vaccination campaign in Arandu. The meeting appreciated his offer.

The additional deputy commissioner, Abdus Salam, AC Munir Aftab, coordinator of family health programme Dr Salim Saifullah Khan, tehsil municipal officer Rahmat Hanif, deputy DEO Shahid Hussain and assistant director of local government Jawad Khan attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024