PESHAWAR, Nov 26: Donor agencies are concerned over low immunisation coverage for seven preventable diseases, saying that there is every likelihood that the UN may stop funding for polio eradication.

Despite huge financial resources, health authorities had failed to deliver, said an official of the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Of the 33 confirmed cases in the country, 16 belonged to the NWFP and Fata. Of them, only six had received oral polio vaccine (OPV) from the routine expanded programme on immunisation, which is an example of ineptness of the programme," he said.

Four new cases were reported this week, three of which were from the NWFP and one from Balochistan -- the two provinces with the most intense transmission. Of the three new cases, two were from Bajaur and one from Khyber Agency, but only one of them had received OPV under the EPI, he said.

Launched in 1976, the Extended Programme for Immunisation was turned into a full-fledged department in 1996. However, it has not yet delivered the desired results because of staff shortage, administrative bottlenecks and lack of resources to meet the target.

According to a WHO official, the overall immunisation coverage is stated to be above 80 per cent which is always suspicious.

"EPI staff send false reports about the coverage," he said, stressing on the importance of the EPI which helped the country do away with smallpox.

About 1,100 EPI technicians in the NWFP and Fata are tasked with administering the vaccine to 5.5 million children below the age of five at the fixed centres, besides approaching people door to door.

"However, the EPI staff do not have vehicles to reach far-flung areas. They have to travel on foot which is not an easy task," said the official of the EPI.

"Besides, lack of awareness among the parents regarding the importance of vaccination is also a big impediment," he added.

"Worse is the case of Fata where male technicians are not allowed to visit the houses while the EPI is devoid of the services of female technicians," he said, adding that the rumours that OPV caused impotency was also posing hindrance in the smooth-sailing of the anti-polio campaign.

In order to increase the coverage, the WHO launched Polio Eradication Initiative in 1994 and ran special immunisation campaigns.

Till 2001, there were five National Immunisation Days, increased to eight in 2002, while the fixed centres are used as backup.

On a single campaign, the donor agencies spend an amount of Rs35 million on hiring of staff to work for three days, while a fourth day is reserved for special immunisation activities to vaccinate those who could not be reached during the first three days.

"Some of the EPI centres do not have any technicians while others only have the services of three to four," said the WHO official.

He also called for doing away with political interference in the transfer and posting of EPI technicians.

"It is the politicians who call the shots and EDOs (health) have no power to post or transfer technicians, which is casting a negative effect on the EPI campaign," he said.