QUETTA: The twice postponed seven-day polio vaccination campaign will begin in Balochistan on Monday to administer polio drops to over 2.6 million children under the age of five.

Inamul Haq, the Balochistan Emergency Operations Centre coordinator, stated on Sunday that the vaccination campaign would be held in 36 districts of the province.

The campaign was part of a nationwide drive scheduled to be held in all four province, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from December 16 to 22.

Vaccination campaign was delayed due to protest by medical workers

The drive in Balochistan was, however, postponed twice by the health department due to strike of the Grand Health Alliance. The protesting medical workers also refused to take part in the polio vaccination drive until their demands were accepted.

Two days ago, a two-member bench of the Balochistan High Court directed the secretary and director general of the health department to issue show-cause notices to the protesting medical workers for not calling off their strike despite a court order.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024