Meeting discusses polio eradication efforts

PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication on Tuesday assessed the ongoing polio eradication efforts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary presided over the meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar, said an official handout.Relevant administrative secretaries, senior officials from law-enforcement agencies, Coordinator of Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), and representatives from international aid organizations including UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) attended the meeting.

The commissioners, deputy commissioners, District Health Officers and officials from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Islamabad participated in the meeting via video link.

During the meeting, the special secretary of Health and the coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) briefed the participants on the current situation of polio in the province.

The meeting reviewed the progress made on the decisions taken during the previous meeting. The chief secretary conducted a comprehensive analysis of the implementation status of the decisions taken in previous meetings.

He directed the officials to ensure strict implementation of the protocols during the anti-polio campaign.The chief secretary underlined the importance of accurate and comprehensive data, stating that 100 percent data accuracy was crucial for eradicating polio. He called for strengthening the surveillance system to ensure reliable and timely information for decision-making.

About the emergence of polio cases in certain districts, the chief secretary highlighted the need for thorough research and investigation into the root causes.He directed the officials to deploy all necessary resources to contain the further spread of the virus.

The chief secretary called for a revival of public awareness campaigns. He urged the establishment of user-friendly systems to facilitate the public in getting their children vaccinated at health facilities and hospitals.

To ensure the quality of services, he promised to personally visit medical centres to inspect the vaccination processes. The meeting also highlighted the introduction of the “District Score Card” to regularly monitor the performance of districts in the polio eradication campaign.

The chief secretary praised this initiative, as well as the findings from the household social surveys, which are aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of house-to-house visits conducted by polio teams. The meeting also reviewed the preparations for the upcoming anti-polio campaign slated for 28 October in two phases.