HYDERABAD: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho directed all Deputy Commissioners and District Health Officers of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions not to make any compromise on anti-polio campaign and also cover refusal and Not-Available (NA) cases in all health facilities successfully. She also directed to ensure all the required facilities including availability of required medicines in sufficient quantity in health facilities.

She was presiding over a meeting to review the anti-polio campaigns conducted during the month of May in Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions. The Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Qasim Soomro, Provincial Coordinator Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Fayaz Hussain Abbasi, Director General Health Services Sindh Dr Muhammad Juman Bahoto, Divisional Commissioner Hyderabad Nadeem-ur-Rehman Memon, Divisional Commissioner Mirpurkhas Syed Ijaz Shah, Divisional Commissioner Shaheed Benazirabad, Deputy Commissioners and District Health Officers of three divisions and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the Sindh Health Minister said that the districts which had not got 100 percent coverage in the anti-polio campaign would have to ensure 100 percent coverage in future.

She also directed to check the micro plan whether polio worker counted four children in a house in their plan was correct and in case of incorrect information action should be taken against them.

“To know the cause of the NAs and zero dose cases, inquiry should be conducted in the districts where NAs or zero dose cases had been recorded,” she directed.

She directed for paying salaries to polio workers. She also directed Director General Health Services Sindh to share details of health facilities, funds available to them and other related data with Deputy Commissioners and to send detailed report on the infrastructure of health facilities, available resources, requirements and equipment in health facilities in all the districts. She also directed to sack habitual absent employees and those who did not perform well in the campaign against polio and no any political pressure should be accepted in this regard.

During the meeting, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Qasim Soomro directed all the officers not to accept any kind of pressure in the campaign against polio and to ensure the attendance of all vaccinators, LHVs and share their attendance sheets with the Deputy Commissioners on daily basis and also send a copy to him.

“Vaccinators should be directed to immediately report new-born children in their areas and ensure that they are vaccinated against polio,” he said.

Briefing the meeting, Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi, Coordinator, Emergency Operations Centre for Polio, said that cases of fake finger markings had been reported in many districts and when enquired, it was revealed that these children were marked on fingers only but were not administered polio drops and added that fake data was reported from many districts.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022