KOHAT, Nov 7: The external monitor of World Health Organisation for EPI has said that the polio vaccination teams are facing immense problems in the Orakzai Agency due to the constant movement of Afghan refugees in large numbers in the area and the uncooperative attitude of the tribesmen.

WHO Monitor Dr Zaheerud Din Babar told Dawn on Wednesday that the tribesmen were not allowing the lady heath visitors to enter their houses for the vaccination of their children alleging that the workers in fashionable dresses had a negative impact on the tribal culture and the programme was the “West’s conspiracy” in the garb of medical help.

The most problematic part is the upper Orakzai, where the people are very rigid, whereas the lower part of the agency is considerably literate and open minded, he observed.

He said the data about refugees in particular areas constantly varied as they shifted from one place to another, particularly in the winter season. Same was the case with tribesmen, who move to low lying areas from the hilly and far-flung areas to escape the harsh winter.

He said that high-risk area in the agency was Biland Khel, where they would be concentrating more. The area is inhabited by the Wazir, Mengal, Afridi and Afghan tribes.

He said that 210 teams, each comprising two members, had been constituted in the agency besides a hospital to administer polio vaccine and vitamin A drops to the children in the agency.

He said the programme would try to reach 40,000 children but as mentioned earlier the number might change due to above mentioned circumstances.

He said, to make the campaign a complete success, he had formed monitoring teams. Each team will visit 100 houses after the three-day drive to confirm whether the areas were visited by the teams. I

In case the teams do not reach the far-flung areas, arrangements would be made to cover the population.

A committee has also been formed for solving the problems of the medical teams and to evaluate the progress. It is led by surgeon Mohammad Iqbal Marwat and Dr Wazir Akbar.

Assistant Political Agent Fakhruddin inaugurated the campaign in the agency and asked the people to get their children vaccinated. He said the campaign had the patronage of Pakistan health authorities.