Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said the provincial government is implementing a programme to provide best medical treatment facilities according to the vision of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said the Punjab government would fully endorse the legislation on Mandatory Vaccination and Protection of Health Workers.
He said this while talking to the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq in a consultative meeting in the Health Department.
Rafique further said that coverage of routine immunisation in Punjab has been increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent within a year due to the strict implementation on Chief Minister Health Roadmap Programme. He said that E-VACCs system has been successfully implemented to monitor the performance of vaccinators. He further said that E-VACCs II has also been introduced in which vaccinator is bound to upload the photograph of the child through Android phone which he has vaccinated. He said that PITB has designed whole the system. He said the Punjab government will fully support the legislation on Mandatory Vaccination and Protection of Health Workers and the members of Punjab Assembly would be taken into confidence. The meeting urged upon the members of Assembly to table a resolution as soon as possible to initiate mandatory vaccination in the country.
On this occasion, Ayesha Raza Farooq informed the meeting that she has tabled the draft Bill in the Senate in April this year. Speaking on the bill, she said that 1 out of 10 children dies and cannot reach their 5thbirthday due to vaccine preventable diseases.
“We need to start educating the constituents that it is their responsibility to vaccinate and give a healthy life to children”, opined Senator Ayesha While commenting on the significance of uniform law across the country, she highlighted that poliovirus and other diseases know no boundary, therefore uniform law is needed to protect all children across the country. “Provinces should introduce their own Bill for Mandatory Vaccination or give mandate to federal legislation so that a uniform law can protect our children from death and disability,” she further added.
Earlier, President Pakistan Pediatrician Association Dr Tahir Masood presented an overall situation of immunization in the country and highlighted that vaccine preventable diseases is one of the main causes of under 5 mortality rate in the country. Pakistan is one of these top ten countries where a large numbers of children die due to pneumonia every year.
Members Punjab Assembly Lubna Faisal, Dr Nousheen Hamid, Alia Aftab, Dr Murad Rass, Rahila Khadim, Naseem Lodhi, Shehzad Munshi, Salma Shaheen, Special Secretary Health Gulzar Hussain Shah and Additional Secretary Health Dr Salman Shahid were also present in the meeting.
