PESHAWAR, July 8: Interference from government officials has been hindering the appointment of district health communication officers in seven polio-prone districts of the NWFP, sources said.

“The officials’ attitude is hampering the polio campaign in the province,” the sources said. Three cases of polio have been reported from the NWFP and Fata this year and donor organisations fear an outbreak in some districts and tribal agencies owing to the presence of polio virus there.

The NWFP health department, in collaboration with Unicef, had decided at a meeting held in Islamabad in December last year to acquire services of medical and journalism graduates with MPH (masters in public health) degrees to strengthen the anti-polio campaign in the high-risk districts of Peshawar, Bannu, Tank, Shangla, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Swat.

Interviews for the posts were held at the directorate of health, Fata, and the provincial health department in April.

Three district health communication officers have started working in high-risk North and South Waziristan and Bajaur agencies, but the provincial health department failed to make the appointments due to pressure from high-ups.

In some cases, candidates having much lesser and irreverent qualifications were recommended for appointment, which were not acceptable to health authorities and donor agencies.

Unicef has financed the project for one year and it can be extended.

“Donor agencies are fed up with this attitude. They want to do away with political interference in recruitment for technical jobs,” said an official of the directorate of health.

According to a WHO report issued in April, a minimum of 26,000 children have not been vaccinated against polio in three of the seven tribal agencies and eight of the 24 NWFP districts.

The health communication officers will be required to promote polio vaccination by motivating religious leaders and parents and through other means like posters and banners. Unicef will pay a monthly salary of Rs40,000 to them.

Sources said the health department re-advertised the posts on Friday.