ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the government was formulating a new strategy to address the issue of polio in FATA.
Replying to a calling attention notice, Saira Afzal said the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were a nursery for polio patients as the first case of 2014 also reported from those area.
Law and order situation was hampering access to the areas causing serious consequences, she added.
She said the anti-polio campaign could not be launched in FATA after first terrorist attack polio workers in 2012.
The minister said there was dire need to make active transit points in FATA and the government was making allout efforts in that regard. Over 40 percent area was now being accessed by the government.
She said the federal and provincial governments were jointly working to eradicate polio from the country. The federal government had supported all the efforts made by the provincial governments.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief has launched a campaign against polio in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and the federal government fully supported it, she said, adding that she also visited all the provinces to monitor the campaign.
The minister said the government was committed to eradicate polio from the country and it was also involving religious scholars in the campaign.
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