Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Kh. Imran Nazir has said that joint and consolidated efforts are required to eliminate diseases from the country and all the stake holders should work together for this national cause without indulging in politics or provincialism. He said that eradication of polio is the top priority of Pakistan Government for which Punjab province endeavoring hard to achieve this goal. Kh. Imran Nazir said that Punjab had remained polio free during 2016, however, one case of polio has been reported in the current year due to that five day anti-polio campaign has been launched in Punjab from 15th May to 19thMay 2017.
He stated this while talking to the media persons at children hospital after inaugurating the anti-polio campaign here today. Dean Institute of Child Health Professor Dr. Masood Sadique, Medical Director Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathor, Chief Executive Health Lahore Dr. Saeed Ghuman, representatives of WHO and UNICEF a large number of doctors, nurses and children alongwith their parents were also present on this occasion. Kh. Imran Nazir inaugurated the five day anti-polio campaign by administering polio vaccine drops to the children. Medical Director Children Hospital Dr. Ahsan Waheed Rathor said that if a single polio case is existing in any corner of the world it would be a threat to all the children. Health Minister informed the media that during five days anti-polio campaign 18.6 million children of below five years of age would be administered polio drops for which primary and Secondary Health Department has constituted 45584 polio teams consisting on two members in each team. Out of them 38699 are mobile teams which would visit door to door for giving polio drops to the children, whereas, 4480 fixed teams deputed in the hospitals and health facilities while 2405 polio teams have been assigned duty to administer polio drops to the children at the transit points coming from other provinces. Responding to a question, Kh. Imran Nazir said that security has been provided to the polio teams in the sensitive and tribal areas. Moreover, Chief Secretary and IG Punjab has ordered that police should be high alert during polio campaign and police patrolling has also been beefed up. Kh. Imran Nazir disclosed that polio virus of environmental samples in different districts is not indigenous and its similarity is identical to the virus prevailing in other parts of the country, therefore, other provincial governments should also launch intensive polio campaigns with full political commitment so that, the virus could be eliminated from Pakistan. The Minister appealed to the parents to ensure administering polio drops to their children. He said that parents should pay attention to the health of their children as they give importance to provide other necessities to them. He said that people should cooperate with the polio teams coming to their homes for a healthy future of their children. If mobile teams did not visit their home people can get their children vaccinated from a nearby immunization centre or from a hospital, the Minister concluded.