Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel on Friday reiterated his commitment to make Pakistan polio-free and asked parents to play their part in making the polio campaign a success.

“The entire nation should actively take part in the administration of polio vaccine to children in order to defeat the menace”, he urged while speaking to the PTV news channel.

He said that the role of parents had great importance in a successful anti-polio campaign, adding, that parents should administer polio drops to their children to protect them from lifelong disability.

He also appreciated the efforts of workers of polio eradication teams who always reach out to children in far-flung and hard areas of the country, adding, that the safety of polio workers topmost priority of the government.

The Pakistan Army and other security forces would provide their full support to polio vaccination teams in their efforts to reach out to the children in far-flung areas of the country, he mentioned.

Qadir Patel also expressed his serious concern over the recent polio cases.

On the strict directives of PM Shahbaz Sharif, the relevant authorities in the federal and provincial governments would undertake effective immunization and awareness campaigns to check the incidence of polio and would ensure the provision of the polio vaccine to every child.

He said that vaccination cannot be done forcibly rather it has to be done in agreement with parents.

Minister also stressed the need for compulsory immunization legislation in parliament.