PTI shows it is time to embrace new rules Shahina Maqbool Colombian Girls Are the Most Warm, lovely and Beautiful Girls in the Word ursday, March 13, 2014 From Print Edition 287 20 184 0 Islamabad Polio eradication in Pakistan is no longer about delivering half-baked national emergency action plans year after year. It is also not about turning a blind eye to real challenges and taking pride in non-issues such as a decline in parental refusals. And going by the global spotlight that the ‘Sehat Ka Insaf’ health model received here on Wednesday by none other than the visiting director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Margaret Chan, polio eradication is also not about precious human and material resources being wasted on polio-specific immunisation campaigns when better results can be achieved through an integrated child health package that delivers protective and preventive services against nine diseases through a seven-hour, rather than a three-day campaign, thereby also limiting exposure of health workers and policemen to the risk of health terrorism. “I am here to congratulate the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its innovative approach to child health. The model being implemented in Peshawar has completed six rounds, and the experience has been commendable,” Dr. Chan stated while addressing an outdoor press conference convened within the residential compound of PTI chairman Imran Khan here at Bani Gala. Dr. Bruce J Aylward, assistant director general for global polio eradication and Dr. Elias Durry, emergency coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan were also present. Although a brief one, Dr. Chan’s visit to Islamabad saw polio diplomacy in full swing in the federal capital as the global health agency’s chief called on Imran, minutes after her interactions with the President and the Prime Minister. And then, within an hour of her departure, the PM paid an unexpected visit to Imran’s Bani Gala residence for a discussion on polio eradication and other matters related to the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Taliban. Two tweets, sent out by Imran with a 10-minute gap, aptly summarised the outcome of these meetings. The first one said, “DG WHO Ms Chan stated today that PTI’s Sehat Ka Insaf programme has revived WHO’s faith in Pakistan. Said if government has will, they can achieve goals.” The second one said, “Asked PM to add issue of polio health workers’ safety as part of dialogue and to get Taliban to commit to it and to ensure continuation of polio programme.” Earlier during the press conference, Imran dismissed the possibility of PTI having any direct contacts with the Taliban. He stressed that the peace committee negotiating with the Taliban should plead for lifting of the Taliban-imposed ban on polio immunization in North Waziristan, where no immunization activity has been conducted since June 2012, predisposing 260,000 children to the crippling disease. “We will have our concerns conveyed to the Taliban through the peace committee so that the issue is included as an agenda item during negotiations,” said Imran. Speaking to the media, Dr. Chan said that the best message that she is taking away from Pakistan is that the country’s leaders are committed to the health of its children and women. She termed international concern over the spread of polio as being one of the key reasons for her visit. “I urge the international community and partners to support Pakistan so that we can kick out polio in 2014. Let us work together towards our objective,” she resolved. With reference to insecurity of polio health workers, Dr. Chan claimed having discussed the issue with Pakistan’s political leadership. “We understand the complexity of the issue. These workers are here to serve children; they should not be targeted,” she said. Dr. Chan said, both the government of Pakistan as well as the Rotarians are coming up with schemes for the families of health workers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Expressing his views on the same issue, Imran criticized the CIA for using health workers for espionage activities in the Shakeel Afridi case, and attributed this act as the primary reason for targeted attacks against polio workers and security personnel today. “People did talk against polio even in those days, but they did not resort to killing health workers,” he flagged. Dr. Chan informed the media that member states of the WHO have requested her to establish an Emergency Committee which would meet in April to advise on the benefits of requiring vaccination of travelers from polio-infected countries, for a decision in May at the World Health Assembly. These additional requirements, she said, will be applicable to all three countries where poliovirus circulation is continuing. Dr. Chan also shared that Pakistan’s polio eradication scenario was a reason for serious concern at the executive board meeting of the WHO held in January 2014. “The country has performed better than last year, but by far, has the highest number of cases,” she said. Pakistan has reported 27 polio cases so far this year; of these, 22 have been confirmed from North Waziristan alone as against 44 last year. With reference to the famine in Tharparkar, Dr. Chan shared that while the modalities and nature of assistance are yet to be determined, the government has sought WHO’s intervention for a multi-agency response to protect the health and lives of the drought-stricken population. “While the government itself will take lead, it has asked WHO for help,” she confirmed. Talking to this scribe, a PTI official shared that during the last six weeks, only in a single day, 12,000 ‘sehat razakaars’ have vaccinated hundreds and thousands of children in Peshawar against poliovirus while also delivering the ‘Insaf Sehat Kits’ to 25,000 houses. It is learnt that based on the results of the Peshawar model, PTI has decided that the final three rounds of ‘Sehat ka Insaf,’ which were initially scheduled during April in Peshawar alone, will now be extended to four more districts of KPK namely, Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera. This means that inclusive of all five districts, the campaign will immunise a record 2 million children in a single day.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 13:52:17 +0000
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