Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, has recently reviewed the progress on National Action Plan for Polio Eradication.

The minister was briefed at length by the Dr Rana Safdar, National Coordinator, Polio Emergency, on the recommendation of the recently concluded polio review by Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is a team of senior independent international experts.

Safdar noted that the TAG recommendations have been incorporated into the newly-designed National Emergency Action Plan for Polio 2016-17. The minister expressed her satisfaction over the positive appraisal by TAG and also said that the polio program has not only maintained the focus on the 11 districts of tier-I but had also chalked out an enhanced monitoring plan for tier-II districts.

Tarar added that the TAG had appreciated the idea of community-based vaccinations and the program is all set now to enhance the scope of the community-based vaccination. She said that the mobile team performance was being strengthened at present and the surveillance strengthening plan was now in place for immediate implementation. “We must redouble efforts in north Sindh and execute a complete North Sindh Action plan urgently,” she stated.

The minister also informed sources that Rapid Response Units are fully geared and operational at national and provincial levels and performing the duties. She also directed a regular sharing of information on the population movement with the Afghanistan program for a joint risk assessment as well as response to any cases and outbreaks in the common reservoirs on either side. To strengthen the routine immunisation in the country, she also called for enhancing the PEI-EPI partnership to support routine immunisation operations with an active coordination and engagement with EPI and other partners supporting the routine immunisation.