Refusal to polio immunization: Minister Health hints at legislation in Balochistan
- July 31, 2015, 7:14 pm
- National News
- 66 Views
“Sentence would be awarded to parents
refusing administration of anti-polio
vaccine to their childrenâ€
BT City Report
QUETTA: Provincial Minister for Health, Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch has stated that the legislation would be made for award of sentence to the parents refusing administration of anti-polio vaccine to their children in the province. He said that the necessary bill of the same would be presented in the provincial assembly.
The Minister Health was addressing a planning workshop for preparation of the National Emergency Action Plan regarding eradication of polio, at Lahore the other day.
The Minister of State and Chairperson of Prime Minister’s Polio Task Force, Ms. Saira Afzal Tarar presided over the workshop.
He expressed his government’s resolve to eradicate the polio virus from the Balochistan province. He said that we would not be sitting at ease until and unless it is eradicated fully. We would be working round the clock to achieve the goal in this regard, he maintained.
He said that there are clear directives of the Chief Minister, Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch that all available resources should be mobilized to rid the province of polio virus.
In this regard, the cooperation of the religious leaders as well as political and tribal leaders has been sought in the province.
The Minister Health on the occasion insisted that the role of Local Bodies’ representatives is vital in eradication of polio, so they have to be activated for the purpose, he stressed.
We hope all segments of the society would play their role to achieve the target set for polio eradication in the province, he stressed.
The Minister on the occasion expressed his concern over refusal to the polio immunization by some parents in remote and less developed areas of the province. So, the government decided to do necessary legislation against this trend, he mentioned.
Referring the initiatives taken and being taken by the provincial government, Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch said that all the polio immunization centers have been made effective at the district level.
All the necessary facilities of telephone, internet and computers have also been made available, he maintained.
The Chief Minister, Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, Chief Secretary and he himself are supervising the anti-polio campaigns.
The performance of the anti-polio teams is also evaluated at end of every campaign in the province, he mentioned adding that the security arrangements are also reviewed.
The doctors and staff demonstrating good performance in the campaigns are awarded commendation certificates while action is taken against those showing poor performance, he concluded.
