A meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Polio Eradication on Monday decided to take stern action against the staff sending fake data.
Minister Specialized Health Dr Javed Akram and Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman attended the meeting held at the Civil Secretariat while Minister for Primary Health Dr Jamal Nasir participated through video link.
Primary Health Minister Dr. Jamal Nasir said that five officials have been suspended in Rawalpindi for submitting fake data regarding polio and an inquiry is being conducted against these suspended polio team officials. The Chief Secretary Punjab said that the special campaign to administer polio vaccine to 22 million children in 36 districts of the province would continue from November 27 to December 1. He said that eradication of polio is a national agenda, adding that all deputy commissioners must work on priority basis for complete eradication of polio. He directed that action be taken against the staff in the areas where polio drops could not be administered to the children. The Chief Secretary said that the child who misses the polio vaccine becomes a problem child for the whole world. He said that all deputy commissioners should ensure reporting of correct data, warning that fake data is not acceptable in any case. He directed that special steps be taken to cover the missed children. The meeting decided to call a special meeting to review the cases of missed children in Lahore. The officials of the Health Department briefed that five cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan this year – three from Karachi, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They said that all environmental samples of polio in Punjab are negative. The meeting also reviewed the situation of dengue in the province. The meeting was told that the number of dengue patients this year is still less than the previous years. The number of dengue patients is increasing in the month of November, which is unusual. The officials said that there has been an increase in dengue cases in Gujranwala in recent weeks. As the weather cools down, the number of dengue patients would decrease. The Chief Secretary directed the administration of Gujranwala and other districts to continue their work to control dengue. Dr. Jamal Nasir said that as a result of the personal interest of the Punjab Chief Minister and the efforts of his team, the number of dengue patients is less this year compared to the last five years. Secretary Health Ali Jan Khan, Additional Secretary Khizr Afzal and the relevant health officers attended the meeting while all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video link.
