LAHORE, Oct 13: Punjab Minister for Health Dr Tahir Ali Javed formally inaugurated the three-day polio immunization campaign on Monday.

He administered anti-polio drops to some children at the Jinnah Hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister urged parents, teachers and ulema to play their role for complete eradication of polio from the province.

The minister claimed that polio had almost been wiped out from the province because of successful vaccination campaigns.

He said the health department had constituted 33,775 teams to vaccinate all under five years of age children by visiting door-to-door in the province.

He said zonal supervisors besides in charge of respective areas had been deputed to monitor the campaign.

The campaign would also be monitored by the district monitors as well as provincial health department authorities.

Saying that elimination of fatal diseases was needed to lessen the burden on health sector, he said the government would soon launch a campaign against hepatitis B and C.

The minister appealed the philanthropists to establish hospitals to provide basic health facilities even in remote areas.

The government would fully cooperate with the philanthropists and donors in this regard.

Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital board of management chairman Mahboob Iqbal, principal Prof Sibtul Hasnain, medical superintendent Dr Zahid Pervez, WHO coordinator Dr Deborah and Punjab Health Services Director-General Rana Khalid Mahmood were also present on the occasion.