Daily Times

Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Palitha Mahipala here on Saturday inaugurated four-day anti-polio campaign at Cantonment General Hospital (CGH).

On this occasion, Cantonment Executive Officer, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board Imran Gulzar, Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi, Tahir Farooq, Assistant Commissioner, Cantt Anisha Hashim, District Health Officer, Ehsan Ghani, Administrator CGH Hassan Ibrahim, Deputy Administrator Attiquddin, OPD Incharge Muhammad Shahid, officers of WHO and Health Department were also present.

Palita Mahipala and Imran Gulzar cut the ribbon to inaugurate the anti-polio drive.

Talking to media persons, Palita Mahipala said that first anti-polio campaign of 2022 had been kicked off in Pakistan, adding, the children up to five years of age would be administered anti-polio drops under the drive.

Significant steps were taken in Pakistan to eradicate the polio and not a single polio case was reported in Pakistan last year, he added.

He appreciated the role of the front line polio workers and urged the parents to get vaccinated their children against polio and extend cooperation with the anti-polio teams as every family should inoculate all its children of up to five years of age against the crippling disease. “We want to see Pakistan as a polio free country,” he said and expressed the hope that due to the team efforts and response of the people, the country would soon become a polio free country.

Imran Gulzar on the occasion said that a four-day polio campaign was launched in last week of January and different areas of Rawalpindi cantonment and its surrounding areas were covered.

He informed that this four-day campaign would cover the entire Rawalpindi region.

He said the polio campaign was launched here under Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunization with an aim to make Pakistan a polio free country.

He said that no polio case was reported in Punjab during last 14 months and only one case was reported in the remote area of Balochistan.

He expressed the hope that the target to make Pakistan a polio free country would be achieved as all-out efforts were being made and polio drops were being administered to all the children.