Peshawar   -   Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur presided over a meeting of the Provincial Task Force (PTF) for Polio Eradication Initiative here at Chief Minister’s House Peshawar on Friday.

The authorities concerned briefed the Chief Minister about various aspects of polio eradication initiative with special focus on challenges faced in this regard, future course of action and other important matters. Important decisions were also made on the occasion to achieve the cent percent goals of polio eradication drives by improving the existing strategy and making this whole effort more effective and result-oriented.

Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, IG Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, Additional Chief Secretary Home Abid Majeed, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, administrative secretaries of concerned departments, representatives from partner organisations and other relevant officials attended the meeting. Divisional and deputy commissioners also attended the meeting via video link.

The Chief Minister on the occasion directed the relevant quarters to further improve the coordination mechanism amongst all the stakeholders in order to achieve the desired targets of polio eradication campaigns. He said that we can make these efforts successful only through an effective and better team work. He further directed them to have special focus on addressing the issues of refusal cases in addition to making operational affairs of polio eradication campaigns better.

“We need to have targeted approach in order to convince the parents who are reluctant to administer anti-polio drops to their children,” he remarked and directed that ulema-e-karam, social mobilisers and elected public representatives be involved for this purpose. Refusal cases should be reviewed especially after each campaign, he added.  

The Chief Minister also directed to pay special attention on sensitive areas adding that special funds be allocated for such areas so that polio virus can be eradicated completely from the province.

Moreover, he directed to make post campaign monitoring system more effective so as to compile realistic data of results achieved through anti-polio campaigns. He said that it is the responsibility of relevant commissioners, deputy commissioners and district health officers to go all out to make polio eradication campaigns successful; in case of any negligence, they would be held accountable. He made it clear that being a national obligation, polio eradication is the collective responsibility of all of us.

Parents, teachers, ulema-e-karam, media and people from all other walks of life would have to play their pro-active role in this regard. He also lauded the role and support of international organisations for eradicating polio virus from this country and province as well, adding that the provincial government has always acknowledged the role of international partner organisations to this effect.

He maintained that his government is striving with renewed and unwavering commitment to eradicate the polio virus; frontline polio workers and security officials working with them are our real hero. The provincial government salutes all those officials who have lost their lives during this national obligation, he concluded.