Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that during the first three months of 2015, detection of four polio cases in Sindh has become a grave challenge for the government.
“I am committed with the soul of my leaders Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, my party and children of my province to make Sindh a polio-free province.”
He said this while presiding over a polio review meeting here at the CM House on Thursday. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari specially attended the meeting as she has been the ambassador on polio eradication.
The other participants were MNA Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chairperson All Provincial Public Health Programs, Ms Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Provincial Coordinator, Secretary Health Iftikhar Shalwani and Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo.
Dr Azra Pechuho told the CM that in 2013 there were 93 polio cases in the country and 10 of them were in Sindh. In 2014 the cases increased to 306 of them 30 were in Sindh and now in the first three months of 2015, 21 cases had been detected all over Pakistan and of them four cases surfaced in Sindh.
The CM pointed out that all these four cases had been detected in areas of rural Sindh.
“This is not a good omen. We have to be more alert and have to expand our immunization sphere,” he asserted.
Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said it was a dream of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto to purge Pakistan of polio disease and it was she who started polio as nation campaign. “Sindh government should ensure to reach each and every child to administer polio drops. Apart from it, a polio team must be provided necessary security so that they can reach to each and every area,” he advised.
The CM told Aseefa Bhutto Zardari that he had already dedicated a separate polio force. “When anti-polio campaign is launched they are also given extra security particularly in high risk areas,” he said.
