Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah inaugurated the Polio Eradication Campaign by administering polio drops to a child

Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah inaugurated the Polio Eradication Campaign by administering polio drops to a child at the Police Services Hospital Peshawar on Friday.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Special Secretary Health/ Coordinator EOC KP, Mr. Abdul Basit, UNICEF Program Manager KP, Dr. Wisam Hazem, Presented-Elect PPA KP, Dr. Syed Bawar shah, Team Lead NSTOP, Technical Focal person PEI, Communication officer UNICEF and EOC officials.

While talking to the media personnel Minster for Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Qasim Ali Shah said that all paediatricians, religious and political leaders and other relevant quarters are being taken onboard to implement this campaign. all arrangements for five-days Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) campaign have been finalised in selected districts of the province in two phases from April 29 wherein more than 4.42 million children under the age of five will be administered with polio drops.

“During the first phase of this campaign, which will be carried out from April 29 to May 03, polio drops will be administered to approximately 2.83 million children in 13 districts of the province including Peshawar, Kohat, Hangu, Kurram, Khyber, Bajaur, Dir Upper, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, North Waziristan, South Waziristan Lower and South Waziristan Upper, while over 78,198 children will be vaccinated in specific union councils on Pak-Afghan border and Afghan Refugee Camps situated in District Nowshera, Swabi, Buner, Malakand, Chitral Upper, Haripur, Mansehra and District Mohmand. During the second phase of the campaign, commencing from May 02, polio drops will be administered to around 1.51 million children in District D.I Khan, Charsadda, Mardan, Chitral Lower and Lower Dir” Minister Health Added.

He furthered that for the implementation of this campaign, 21,038 teams of trained polio workers including 18,926 mobile teams, 1,092 fixed teams, 920 transit teams and 100 roaming teams have been formed to administer polio drops to the children.

He informed that 3,969 area in-charges have also been appointed for the vigilant supervision of these teams to make sure that all children in the target areas are administered with polio vaccines. In order to ensure foolproof security of the polio teams during this campaign, 32,700 security personnel have been deployed in the target areas.