267 million children vaccinated during 2014 in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: (APP): The Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell has conducted 18 supplementary immunization
activities nationwide during last year and attained an overall reported coverage of 99 % by vaccinating about 267 million children.
These supplementary immunization activities included five 5) National Immunization Days (NIDs), four (4) Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs) and nine (9) Short Interval Additional Dose (SIADs). Similarly, in 2013, a total of 15 supplementary immunization activities were conducted nationwide including four (4) NIDs, seven (7) SNIDs and four (4) SIADs, attaining an overall reported coverage of 104 % by vaccinating about 259 million children. Sources at Ministry of National Health Services here on Thursday after devolution of defunct Ministry of Health in June, 2011, there was a need to establish a central focal point to coordinate with all provinces and other stakeholders to ensure sustained nationwide implementation of polio campaigns and mobilize necessary resources for conduct of these campaigns.
They said in this context, with the approval of Prime Minister, a Monitoring and Coordination Cell was established in Prime Minister’s Office which acted as the apex technical body for emergency initiative.
Upon creation of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in May 2013, the role executing agency for Polio Emergency Program was arranged to the Ministry, the sources said and added consequently, the Ministry assumed the role of coordination with Provincial Governments and line Ministries in federal government including with Ministry of Interior and armed forces for smooth conduct of polio campaigns whereas the Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring Cell continued to function as a technical body providing support to the National Task Force on Polio Eradication, and Prime Minister’s Focus Group on Polio Eradication and the Ministry.
They said the Cell has been further strengthened with creation late last year of National and Provincial Emergency Operation Centers with enhanced capacity.
Besides coordinating implementation of programme activities at national level, the Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring Cell liaised with the national and international partners for resource mobilization as well as for seeking periodic advice and recommendations from international bodies such as Technical Advisory Group for Polio Eradication and Independent Monitoring Board for Global Polio Eradication.
The sources said the programme progress was regularly reviewed in meetings of National Steering Committee. Although the implementation of activities is primarily the domain of respective provinces and districts, the monitoring structures created at
provincial and district level facilitated implementation of different kinds of Supplemental Immunization Activities such as (NIDs, SNIDs, SIADs, Case Response) in the country in light of epidemiology and presence of the virus.
