City Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh has directed all deputy commissioners (DCs) and assistant commissioners (ACs) of the metropolis to assist the provincial health department in administering oral polio vaccine (OPV) among 2.2 million under five children in the city.
Chairing a meeting on Wednesday to review arrangements finalised for oral polio vaccination campaign launched in 17 districts of the province, he urged the officials to ensure 100 percent coverage of the total population.
“Vaccination teams must necessarily include a woman, particularly in identified localities, so as to avoid any refusal,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by all the deputy commissioners including Mustafa Jamal Kazi (south), Dr. Saif ur Rehman (central), Kazi Jan Mohammad (east), Shaukat Hussain Jokhio (west) and Ghanwar Ali Laghari (west).
“It is imperative to achieve 100 percent OPV coverage rates at town and union levels of Karachi,” he said and directed officials to ensure active involvement of the elected representatives of the people.
“This must be further complemented with direct contact with notables of each and every area of the city along with social, religious and political leaders of varied communities,” he added.
“We, at the current point of time when our country is reporting highest number of polio, cannot afford any complacency.”
Shaikh urged his deputies and other concerned officials to also avail of the current campaign an opportunity for strengthening routine immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases covered under expanded programme on immunisation.
“There is no denial to the fact that our indifference towards efficient routine immunisation of our children has landed us to a situation where we are yet to fully protect our kids from the crippling diseases as well as other infections,” he remarked.
The commissioner of Karachi directed the DCs and ACs to be equally vigilant about 100 percent success of the OPV campaign.
