All EDOs told to ensure improved polio coverage

KARACHI, March 27: Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed has directed all executive district officers (EDOs) of health in the province to improve routine coverage of immunisation against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases among children up to the age of five years. Addressing a joint meeting of health EDOs, focal persons of the Mother, Neonatal and Child Health Programme and town health officers on Sunday, he said marked improvement in the coverage of routine immunisation had to be achieved on a top priority basis. The meeting was also attended by Health Secretary Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi, Special Health Secretary Dr Suresh Kumar, Director-General of the Sindh Health Services Dr Ghulam Sarwar Channa and other senior government officials. The minister said that routine vaccination programme was meant to provide immunisation against identified diseases to the targeted population and this had to be made a mandatory requirement. "We not only have to turn routine immunisation mandatory upon the targeted population but also to create acceptance of this among the masses," said Dr Ahmed. Regarding the special immunisation campaigns, he said these were to supplement the routine immunisation, adding that that 100 per cent routine coverage would gradually help discontinue the special campaigns that entail extra and heavy expenses, besides time. Some EDOs drew the minister's attention to the restriction on lady health workers to undertake immunisation work. The minister replied that the situation was not the same in every district, and said that the EDOs of the districts registering the problem should immediately approach public representatives of their respective area to get the issue resolved. "MNAs, MPAs and other elected representatives hold influence and can use the same for a cause beneficial to our children," he remarked. The minister also called for a close coordination among officials and staff of various healthcare programmes such as the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), MNCH, Malaria Control Programme, etc. "The focus of these programmes should be protecting mothers and babies against a wide range of diseases that have their repercussion on national health situation," he said. The minister said that strict action would be taken against those district officials who would attain below 95 per cent coverage of polio immunisation. He said finger marking is an essential tool to assess status of immunisation and this must be necessarily practised in the ongoing anti-polio drive. Dr Ahmed expressed his displeasure over nonpayment of MNCH staff's salaries for the past several months, and ordered immediate measures in this regard. He also ordered an elaborated survey to review steps being taken in Sindh to achieve the millennium development goals concerning the health sector.—APP