DLP Report
Peshawar
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to take pragmatic steps for improving vaccination coverage rate for vaccine preventable diseases among the children of the province.
With strong enforcement to help promote higher rates of vaccination coverage, the department of health in the first phase would fill all vacant posts at all districts of the province.
In this connection, the department had already completed the process of recruitment of 471 vaccinators in the tribal districts. Under the national EPI policy, 5263 vaccinators are required in the province, including the integrated tribal districts.
At present, 2882 vacancies are filled while 276 are still lying vacant.
Director General (DG) health, Dr Niaz, has said that owing to administrative changes, the pace of the program in the integrated districts has suffered delay. However, for the rationalization of vaccinators, the district health officers have sent data to the health department, for which a monitoring program has also been formulated.
Preparations are underway to introduce a new mechanism for vaccinators, which will not only reach every child in every district, but will further improve technical support.
After which the vaccinators will now be in the department’s surveillance system he added.
In addition to state vaccination requirements, stronger health care practices such as more in-depth discussions with hesitant parents and establishing vaccination as the default are strategies to improve vaccination coverage rates.
KP has one of the highest infant and child mortality rates in Pakistan, half of these occurring due to vaccine-preventable diseases. The country started its Expanded Programme on immunization (EPI) in 1978. However, the programme’s performance is often questioned, as the Immunization rates have been chronically low and on-time vaccination unsatisfactory in the province, particularly in the province.
