Peshawar, Feb 7, 2018: Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Azam Khan has called on the deputy commissioners to ensure highest quality of polio vaccination campaigns in their respective districts with special focus on the children who are travelling with their families across international border, interprovincial border, and the core reservoirs for poliovirus.
Chairing the meeting of the Provincial Task Force in Peshawar on Wednesday, the Chief Secretary thanked the National and Provincial Emergency Operations Centres as well polio eradication partners for providing the necessary guidance and support to achieve the goal of zero polio cases in the province.
Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq ,Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, National Coordinator for Emergency Operations Centre Dr Rana Mohammad Safdar, Secretary Health KP Abid Majid, Coordinator EOC KP Atif Rehman and other officials and programme partners representatives were present at the meeting.
The Provincial Task Force periodically reviews the progress of Pakistan Polio Programme in the province and take stock of the situation to devise future roadmap.
“The Government of KP is fully focused on making polio eradication a success by ensuring that no child is missed during the polio campaign”, said the Chief Secretary.
Addressing the Task Force meeting, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq appreciated the progress made by the provincial team in the fight against polio.
“All arrangements for the upcoming campaign starting on February 12 across the province has been finalized, said Chief Secretary Muhammad Azam Khan, asking government officials at the health department and deputy commissioners to ensure all children are protected from the virus during the upcoming campaign, particularly those on the move.
“Despite the progress made toward polio eradication, the task is not finished yet since the virus continues to be detected in the environment. We should not relax until we defeat the virus in the country. Immediate response eliminates the risk posed by the poliovirus to the children”, emphasized Senator Farooq.
“Parents across the districts are urged to cooperate with the visiting Sehat Muhafiz during the upcoming campaign and ensure that not only their own children are vaccinated, but also every guest child”, The Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication added.
She thanked the provincial government and specifically Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervaiz Khattak his continuous patronage of the polio eradication programme. She also appreciated the Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Secretary Health, Divisional and District Administration for the progress made so far.
The Provincial Task Force members lauded the role of the frontline workers for showing exemplary courage and commitment. Special homage was paid to the health workers who laid their lives in Quetta in the line of duty while Fateha Khawani was offered at the start of the meeting.