Commissioner Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui said that government was committed to eradicate the polio virus and administration making all coordinated efforts on priority basis with aimed polio free Pakistan and protect our children from this crippled disease. He said while talking to the delegation of Independent Monitory Board of the Global Polio Initiative Mission, an international partner which is visiting Pakistan to review the progress for the polio eradication efforts and activities in Pakistan.
EOC Coordinator Fayaz Jatoi, Additional Commissioner Muhammad Ali, Karachi Polio Coordinator Commissioner, Dr. Nusrat Ali and Deputy Commissioners were also present on the occasion.
Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui informed that there was no new case of polio was reported in Karachi and Sindh during current year. He further said that all stakeholders were working with great responsibility and dedication in the city of Karachi to contribute the efforts to make Pakistan polio free country.
He appreciated the role of international partners also and hoped soon they will be able to achieve the goal of elimination of polio virus from Pakistan to stand with the world community which has already achieved this goal to make world polio free.
Highlighting the issues confronting to the efforts being made for the elimination of polio virus, he said that they are attempting the mobile population where missing and refusal children numbers are observed high. It has been examined that they are concentrated in some polio related high risk union councils out of 188 of the union councils of the city. It has also been examined that the people reacting negatively to the vaccine largely lie in slums areas where health services and civic services needed to be improved. He said there is massive movement of population into and within Karachi particularly in these high risk union councils. He said city administration has taken special steps to get administer polio drops to all those children coming from other parts through massive campaign at the entry points of the city, where special polio teams have been deputed to work 24 hours including at the bus stops, railway stations and airport.
“Consultation with the concerned departments and NGOs in this regard with request to provide them better health facilities and to provide other civic facilities and make special arrangements for supplying clean water also been initiated”, says Commissioner. He also discussed the matter with the partner Rotary International.
The Independent Monitoring Board Mission appreciated the efforts of the government to eliminate the polio virus. They said Pakistan is on right trajectory to eradicate polio from the country by maintaining intense pressure of the crippling Polio virus. They briefed about their activities in Karachi to the Commissioner and told them they have visited some of the high risk areas where there is a problem of missed children and there are problems of refusal and those areas where people reacting to welcome the polio teams . They visited Baldia, SITE, Mochko of district West and specially Gujro, in Gulshan-Iqbal District East, the delegation informed the commissioner.
Those who attended the meeting among others were IMB Mission members Dr. Navid Sadozai and Christine Athelie Commissioner Karachi Polio Task Force Coordinator Dr. Nusrat Ali and representative of Bill Gates and Foundation Dr. Ahmed Ali Sheikh.
