LAHORE- Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh Salman Rafiq has said that planning for the eradication of polio would be made on the pattern of anti-dengue campaigns and the chief minister would be requested to constitute a cabinet committee in this regard.
Chairing a meeting on Friday, Kh Salman directed the health officials to include at least one Pashto-speaking female worker in every team for ensuring administration of polio drops to the Pakhtun children. Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik, DCO Lahore Muhammad Usman, Director General Health Punjab Dr Zahid Pervaiz, EDO Health Lahore Dr Zulfiqar Ali, WHO representative Dr Ubaid-ul-Salam, Dr Aslam Ch of Bill Gates Foundation, Muhammad Saeed Shamsi of Pakistan Rotary Club, representative of Unicef Dr Naeem Ullah and Ivon attended the meeting.
Kh Salman Rafiq warned that negligence would not be tolerated and strict action would be taken against the persons responsible. He said that help of police would be sought during polio campaign and monitoring of polio teams would be assigned to the Special Branch. He said that after the end of dengue season, dengue surveillance teams and in-charge departments at town level would be included in anti-polio campaign and its approval would be sought from chief minister. The DCO Lahore said that 72 union councils of Lahore had been declared sensitive regarding polio, out of which, Pakthuns were residing in 25 UCs. He said that pamphlets would be dropped through plane for creating awareness against polio in Lahore. Representatives of WHO and Unicef said that sincere efforts had been made for eradication of polio in Punjab and things were moving towards right direction. Representative of Bill Gates Foundation said that 102 clusters of Pakhtun population in 72 sensitive union councils of Lahore needed special attention.