PESHAWAR - KPK Health  Minister Shuakt Yousafzai said the  government’s  'Sihat Ka Insaf' programme against nine diseases will start from tomorrow (Sunday) under which 65,000 kits would be distributed among 35,000 families with the support of 12,500 volunteers and 4,000 security personnel in 97 union councils of Peshawar.
He said this while briefing the media about the programme here at the Civil Officer Mess on Friday. He said that the government has sanctioned Rs22 billion for Sehat Ka Insaf (Healht for All) programme, a complete package under which more than 65,000 free kits would be distributed among 3,5,000 families of Peshawar which would help protect them from nine diseases.
Flanked by officials of health department, Unicef, WHO and others, the minister said that more than 7, 54,000 people would be targeted to create awareness among them about nine diseases through 2,420 mobile teams along with 6,000 health workers and 12,500 volunteers.
Similarly, he said that more than 2,50,000 dengue pamphlets will be distributed and would create door-to-door awareness about nine fatal childhood diseases. "The kit included vaccines for childhood diseases, including polio," he said.
Yousafzai said that the system would cover children in an integrated way with complete participation of the community people. He said it would be a massive campaign where people would also be informed about hygienic practices to safeguard them against avoidable diseases. He stressed an integrated approach would enhance immunisation and urged people to take part in the campaign and make it a success.
According to the World Health Organisation, he said Peshawar has been declared as hub of polio. He said that more than 4, 80,000 children below age of five would be immunised by administering polio drops during the special three-month programme. He said the polio coverage is around 60 per cent, which would be increased at 90 per cent in the special campaign. He further said the rusted water-supply lines would be replaced while new water-filtration plants will be established in five union councils of Peshawar.  The minister said that the KPK government wanted to eliminate polio menace because it was preventable through vaccination. He said that the children would be administered vaccines for all diseases on Sundays only and the teams would get full security. He observed the child and mother morality ratio is very high in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which will be covered up by launching such initiatives in the future as well.
He informed that around 12 districts have so far identified under the Expanded Programme for Immunisation through which family will be given Rs1,000 as cash reward on completion of vaccination course. Similarly, he said the pregnant women, who were examined completely from physician that would get Rs2,700 as cash prize. He said the Community Mid-Wives (CMW) Programme would also be strengthened.
When asked about the security arrangements for polio workers, the minister admitted that security is a big issue, saying that steps would be taken to prevent any untoward incident in the Peshawar during carrying out three-month programme.
Meanwhile, talking to media persons SSP Operation Najeeb-ur-Rahman said that complete ban would be imposed on motorbikes and bicycles aimed to avert any untoward incident. In the first instance campaign will be launched in around 50 union councils of Peshawar for which full proof security plan has been prepared.
A seven-member committee would be structured at the level of each union council who will comprise two polio workers, two police and three volunteers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The campaign will be started in the first week of February.
In this connection around 65,000 health kits will be distributed in urban and rural areas of Peshawar, the kits would be comprised four soaps for bathing, four soaps for washing utensils, four soaps for cloths, four tooth pasts, four tooth brushes, water purification tablets, two water canisters and one large size water pot.  These free kits would be distributed among the families.
Besides this health volunteers would administer vaccines to protect children against polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, meningitis, pneumonia, measles and hepatitis B All these diseases are curable but taking lives of children in the country. Talking to The Nation PTI Peshawar General Secretary Zaheer Younis Mohmand said that the PTI workers would participate enthusiastically in this campaign.