Peshawar (Khyber Mail): The Provincial Task Force for Polio Eradication convened at the Civil Secretariat Peshawar on Tuesday to assess the ongoing efforts to eliminate polio in the province. The meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary, and was attended by senior officials, administrative secretaries, law enforcement agencies, and representatives from international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). Participants from the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Islamabad, along with district health officers and commissioners, joined via video link.
During the session, the Special Secretary of Health and the Coordinator of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) presented a detailed briefing on the province’s current polio situation. The meeting reviewed the progress made since the last Task Force meeting, focusing on the implementation of previous decisions.
Chief Secretary Chaudhary emphasized the importance of strict adherence to protocols during polio vaccination campaigns and called for accountability for any lapses. He stressed the need for 100% accuracy in data collection, noting that reliable data is critical to the success of polio eradication efforts. He also directed the strengthening of the surveillance system to ensure timely and accurate information for decision-making.
In response to the recent emergence of polio cases in certain districts, the Chief Secretary instructed health officials to conduct thorough investigations into the root causes and allocate all necessary resources to contain the spread of the virus.
The meeting further discussed the revival of public awareness campaigns to encourage vaccination. Chief Secretary Chaudhary urged the development of user-friendly systems to help parents get their children vaccinated at hospitals and health facilities. He committed to personally visiting medical centers to oversee vaccination procedures and ensure service quality.
A new initiative, the “District Score Card,” was introduced to regularly monitor the performance of districts in the polio eradication campaign. The Chief Secretary praised the initiative, along with findings from household social surveys evaluating the effectiveness of door-to-door vaccination efforts.
Preparations for the upcoming polio campaign, scheduled to begin on October 28 in two phases, were also reviewed, with a focus on ensuring the campaign’s success across the province.