LAHORE, Nov 6: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday a vigorous anti-polio vaccination campaign would be launched in the province and he would inaugurate the drive by administering drops to children.
Besides, a special campaign would run simultaneously through seminars, debates, discussions and talk shows for creating awareness among the masses about polio. According to a handout, the chief minister directed the health authorities to evolve an effective strategy to wipe off the disease.
Speaking to a World Health Organization delegation, led by its provincial head Dr Wdaan, he pledged all possible efforts to fight polio in the province. The polio vaccine had been purchased from private companies instead of Unicef, he said, adding that the government lacked a system to check the quality of this vaccine due to which the disease was taking its toll on children.
He said a committee had been constituted to find solution to the problem and submit its report within seven days. He asked the WHO’s provincial head to extend full cooperation for elimination of the disease.
The chief minister directed the secretary health to personally supervise the campaign and evolve a monitoring system besides keeping record of the areas where vaccine had been provided to the children.
Dr Wdaan informed Shahbaz Sharif that five big companies in the world prepared this vaccine and Unicef purchased it only from them. He said more attention was needed to eradicate this disease from southern Punjab, adding that the WHO teams would monitor the campaign here.
AUDIT LEGISLATION: Shahbaz Sharif said a third-party audit of development works would be made mandatory through legislation and five teams headed by MPAs would submit reports on delay in completion of projects within seven days.
Directing constitution of teams while presiding over a meeting held here to review the pace of development works, he observed that not even a single scheme under the Annual Development Programme had been completed in time during the past eight years.He said his government had enforced the third-party audit system to ensure transparency in development projects during his previous incumbency, but the system was abolished. Now a formal legislation would make the third-party audit mandatory, he said.
LAW & ORDER: At another meeting, the chief minister underscored the need for coordinated efforts for improving law and order situation. He said senior police officers should hold open courts for solving the people’s problems.
A comprehensive strategy should be adopted for elimination of crime from Lahore and a report be submitted to him within next 30 days, he asked the officials.
SANITATION: Various proposals are under consideration for cleanliness of cities and provision of clean environment to the citizens to avoid outbreak of diseases, the chief minister said after a briefing by Asif Farooq, the chief executive of waste busters belonging to private sector, at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
He said services of local and international companies would be hired for sanitation project that would initially be launched in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.