ISLAMABAD (INP): A high level meeting was held here at Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters to review the progress and arrangements of upcoming Polio Eradication drive going to be started from September 26, 2016 on Friday.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Ayesha Raza, Mayor of Islamabad and Chairman CDA, Sheikh Anser Aziz, Inspector General of Police Islamabad, Chief Officer Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), Director General Health MCI, Director General Health MCI, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, representatives of UNICEF and WHO and senior officers of relevant formations of CDA and MCI.
The meeting reviewed the performance of Health Services Directorate regarding eradication of polio in the Federal Capital and arrangements made for upcoming polio eradication drive.
Mayor Islamabad and Chairman CDA, Sheikh Anser 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 Director General HRD has been directed to ensure the availability and presence of the deputed staff while Director Security 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 utilized to retain the polio free status of Islamabad.
He informed that private educational institutes have also been approached to cooperate with CDA and MCI so that every child of the Federal Capital could be immunized with polio drops. Sheikh Anser 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 immunize 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 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 Focal Person on Polio, Ayesha Raza said that Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is taking keen interest in eradication of polio from the country due to which polio cases since 2013 has been 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 that special measures should be adopted to immunize 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.
