ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination informed the Senate on Friday that Polio Programme is rolling out a robust communication strategy to enhance public awareness regarding polio immunisation, with a particular focus on high-incidence areas.
In a written reply to a question, the ministry told the House that the communications workforce is deployed at the community level, ensuring direct engagement with populations.
“The high-incidence areas are prioritized in this deployment. This strategic placement prioritizes grass-root level community engagement and social mobilization, with particular focus on enhancing public awareness regarding polio immunization,” it added.
It said that Polio Programme has engaged over 132,000 local influencers including religious leaders, medical professionals and other respected community figures to serve as face of the campaign, adding these figures are actively supporting the programme in engaging their local communities to raise awareness on polio immunisation and in addressing missed children, refusals, boycotts and misconceptions.
The ministry said that these influencers participated voluntarily demonstrating local ownership and commitment to the eradication effort, adding the religious leaders are engaged through seminars and workshops, serving as social behaviour change communication influencers in communities and leveraging their social media presence to counter misinformation.
“Endorsement messages of ulema are used on social media to address misinformation and create an enabling environment for frontline workers.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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