Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered arrangements for vaccination against polio at entry and exit points of the province and said that district coordination officers should work for the success of the anti-polio drive.
He said this while presiding over a meeting to review the anti-polio campaign in light of the World Health Organisation (WHO) travel restrictions and added that no negligence will be tolerated.
“The parents at the entry points don’t normally refuse administering of polio drops to children but if someone does so, security personnel there will ensure they are administered. However, no instructions have been given to refuse entry to people from other provinces into Punjab for not showing polio certification,” Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) Director Dr Munir Ahmad said.
He directed that special arrangements be made at airports, railway stations and bus stands for administering polio drops. He also directed that special attention be paid to eradication of polio from temporary dwellings of gypsies.
Co-Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Asif Ali Zardari, also expressed concern over the travel restrictions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the former president called upon the WHO to review its decision. “The imposition of a travel ban will only increase Pakistan’s isolation and not advance the global fight against polio,” the former president said.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2014.