Daily Times

DADU: Residents of various areas of Dadu districtsuch as Nai Gaaj, Gorakh Hill, KT Jatoi, Karo Jabal, Fareedabad and Mondhar have said they have not been covered in the anti-polio vaccination campaign that concluded on May 18th.

The polio vaccination campaign began in Dadu district on May 15thand continued until the18th.A target had been set to administer the vaccine to 365,817 children. However,residents of far-flung areas have complainedthat polio teams did not arrive in their localities.

A survey of the areas by Daily Timesrevealed that polio teams had not visited these areasdue to lax supervision by the Dadu deputy commissioner and health officials.

Talking to Daily Times, Dosho Shah,a resident of Nai Gaaj, said that the polio teams had not visited their areas. “More than 70 children have not been administrated thepolio vaccination drops,” he said.

Dosho Shah said that the locals were ready to cooperate with polio teams.”We are ready to provide them camels and donkeys to reach thesefar-flung areas,” he emphasised.

Shah said that the children who had notbeen administrated polio drops were vulnerableto the crippling disease. “TheDadu DC and health officials have not properly supervised the polio teams. That is why they have not visited our areas,” he said.

A resident of KT Jatoi, Naeem Jatoi, said that polio teams had not visited the areas so far. “Our area is peaceful and accessible. However, polio teams have not reached here. Our children have been deprived ofpolio drops,” he said.

Naeem said thatother far-flung areassuch as Gorakh Hill, Fareedabad, Mondhar and other hilly areas of Dadu district have not been covered.

Naveed Ahmed Jamali,a resident of Gorakh Hill, alleged that polio teams had prepared fake reports to show their higher-ups that they had covered remote areas in Dadu district. “The authorities have embezzled thefunds provided to them for coveringfar-flung areas. In Dadu district, 250 people have been deprived of polio drops,” he said.

Talking to Daily Times, Dr Hameed Ahmed Soomro,the focal person of Health Department, said that polio teams of Dadu hadsuccessfully covered all parts of the district. Dr Soomro said that Dadu DC Raja Shahzaman Khahro and health officials had supervised the polio teamscoveringthe remote areas of Dadu district. Soomro rejected complaints against the polio teams.

Polio teams’district incharge Dr Omer said that 52 union councils had been covered in the drive.