ISLAMABAD – Pakistani lawmakers have proposed making vaccinations, including anti-polio drops, mandatory for the issuance of national identity cards, B-forms, and passports to citizens.
They put forth the proposal during a meeting of the parliamentary committee for the eradication of polio.
Prime Minister’s Coordinator for National Health Services, Dr. Malik Mukhtar, stated that efforts to tackle polio in the country face various challenges. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is personally overseeing the anti-polio campaign.
He revealed that nine polio cases have been reported from a single union council in Dera Ismail Khan, and stressed that without the cooperation of parents, complete success in the fight against polio is not possible.
Dr. Nikhat Shakeel, the Convener of the Parliamentary Caucus for the Protection of Children’s Rights, stated that the increasing number of polio cases is a national emergency. She emphasized that polio workers have even sacrificed their lives in the fight to eradicate polio in Pakistan, but despite three decades, the disease has not been eliminated.
In the meeting, PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan highlighted the importance of religious scholars and local leadership in the polio eradication program.
Barrister Aqeel Malik emphasized the importance of linking vaccines with birth and school registration and stated that legislation should be made against parents who refuse to vaccinate their children against polio and other diseases.
