Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed has directed the health department officials to ensure best health care facilities for workers injured during the recent oral polio vaccination campaign.
Chairing a meeting on Thursday, he said due care must also be taken of the families of the injured and killed health workers in Karachi.
Condemning the unfortunate incidents, the minister said these were meant to push back the country to medieval ages when nothing was done to prevent diseases and least attention was paid towards respect and sanctity of human lives. “We have stopped the OPV campaigns for the safety of our workers and have duly informed about it to WHO and UNICEF officials,” he said.
Dr Saghir Ahmed said attacks on workers were reflective of ignorant mindset that were first witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and are now being replicated in other parts of the country. “Intention is to turn the future of our children dark,” he said.
On the occasion health officers from Landhi, Baldia and Orangi towns informed the minister about the details of the attacks in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Participants of the meeting offered fateha for the departed souls and for early recovery of the injured. The meeting was also attended by Sindh Secretary for Health, Aftab Khatri, Special Secretary, Dr Suresh Kumar, Additional Secretary, Taha Farooqui, Director General for Health, Dr Feroz Memon, EDO – Health, Karachi, Imdadullah and others.
