Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab government is completing the verification of computerised micro-plans in 10 districts where anti-polio campaigns would be held from August 29 to 31 to confirm existing data of children under the age of five.

Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said this on Thursday. The supplementary national immunisation days, being held in Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Layyah, Bhakkar and Mianwali, would be synchronised with campaigns in other three provinces as well as Afghanistan, he added.

“Pakistan is getting closer to achieving its target of eradicating polio from the country through exemplary coordination among the federal and provincial governments at political and administrative level,” he said, adding that in order to ascertain and validate the existing data of children under the age five, health departments of all the provincial governments are undertaking exercises to register houses and children in various union councils.

The government officials of concerned departments are assigned to ensure all houses and children would be reached when the vaccination campaign begins, he informed. “The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has requested the parents to cooperate with these visiting community health workers from local government facilities. This valuable contribution from the parents and community elders will help us determine the exact numbers of children less than five years of age in each of these UCs and ensure that no child is left behind in the upcoming vaccination campaigns against polio,” the CM’s adviser added.

Rafiue said these polio workers are carrying their official identity cards and parents are also encouraged to ask for their identification once they knock at their doors.