A high level meeting was held at Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters to review the progress and arrangements of upcoming polio eradication drive going to be started from September 26 on Friday.
The meeting was attended by prime minister’s focal person on polio Ayesha Raza, Islamabad Mayor and CDA Chairman Sheikh Ansar Aziz, Islamabad inspector general of police, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) chief officer, health director general, Islamabad deputy commissioner, representatives of UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) and senior officers of relevant formations of CDA and MCI.
The meeting reviewed the performance of Directorate of Health Services regarding eradication of polio in the federal capital and arrangements made for upcoming polio eradication drive.
Islamabad Mayor Aziz informed the meeting that in order to make upcoming polio campaign a success, all formations of the MCI and CDA have been tasked to coordinate with Health Services Directorate. He apprised that during the upcoming polio eradication drive, additional human resource, machinery and vehicles would be provided to Directorate of Health Services and in this context, Human Resource Development director general has been directed to ensure the availability and presence of the deputed staff while security director has been directed to deploy security staff of CDA along with Islamabad police to provide security for polio teams. He said that all available resources would be utilised to retain the polio free status of Islamabad.
He said that private educational institutes have also been approached to cooperate with CDA and MCI so that every child of the federal capital could be immunised with polio drops. Aziz informed the meeting that in order to achieve the desired results from upcoming polio eradication drive, 600 polio teams have been constituted, including 453 mobile teams, 53 transit and 95 fixed teams which will immunise 140,835 children, up to age of five years, in different part of the city. He informed the meeting that in order to ensure effective monitoring, Islamabad has been divided into 21 zones and each zone will be supervised by a zonal in-charge. Furthermore, 107 area in-charges will be also deputed to monitor the progress of polio teams.
Prime minister’s focal person on polio Ayesha Raza said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is taking keen interest in eradication of polio from the country due to which polio cases since 2013 has decreased substantially. She said that in order to eradicate polio completely from the country, sincere and coordinated efforts are required; therefore, participation of all stakeholders must be ensured.
She further said special measures should be adopted to immunise the children entering in the federal capital to retain its polio free status. She further directed to ensure proper training of polio workers and effective mentoring mechanism.