PESHAWAR: The authorities have decided to deploy more lady health workers in the districts recording most of polio cases to strengthen immunisation against the crippling ailment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to official sources.

Officials said that all 20 polio cases reported countrywide in the ongoing year belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The polio cases recorded in the current year include 17 from North Waziristan, two from Lakki Marwat and one South Waziristan districts. They said that the main problem of coping with the issues relating to polio immunisation was the same.

Officials said that health workers and police escorting them during door-to-door campaigns under the district administration were killed. They said that more than 99 per cent children were given doses in each drive but the disease could not be eradicated.

They said that the government had decided to recruit lady health workers (LHWs) to strengthen polio immunisation in the areas hit hard by the crippling ailment.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the programme started in 1994, had played lead role in addressing population growth, provision of primary healthcare to mother and child and immunisation of people in their catchment areas. “The government wants replicate the same in former tribal areas and enhance number of female workers to create demand for polio drops at the community level,” said officials.

Officials say Rs500m has been sanctioned by finance dept for the purpose

They said that an amount of Rs500 million had been sanctioned by the finance department to make the appointments in view of the poor health indicators in newly-merged tribal districts.

They said that the LHWs had already cut down population growth, improved mother infant and child mortality through community motivation and health education regarding safe drinking water and regular checks during pregnancies to ensure safe deliveries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They said that the LHWs would work on the same pattern to create demand for polio vaccination at community level.

The provincial coordinator of LHW programme, Dr Saeed Rehman, told Dawn that married women and preferably permanent residents would be recruited and deployed in the same community so that they could have trust of people.

He said that immunisation was among the basic duties of LHWs, who were supposed to visit 10 houses each week in their own localities.

“The LHWs covering 800 to 1,000 houses maintain health register in a room designated as health house. People living in the area visit the health house for immunisation, getting medicines, including pain killers, antibiotics, checkups and family planning matters and receive free advice and services,” he said.

Dr Saeed said that that polio immunisation, a government-run programme seeking to safeguard children against disabilities through free vaccination, was facing few obstacles that hampered the battle against the disease and children continued to suffer.

“People visit the houses of LHWs in their neighbourhoods in time of medical assistance. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 18,000 LHWs with 58 per cent coverage. The government will soften the recruitment criteria for LHWs in erstwhile Fata as the literacy level is low there,” he said.

Dr Saeed said that approval of a summary regarding recruitment of 3,500 LHWs was awaited to increase coverage from the existing 21 per cent to 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, Public Health Association’s Dr Saima Abid said in a statement that vaccine was meant to scale up the immunity of children against poliomyelitis and parents must administer it to their children. “Poliomyelitis causes disabilities,” she added.

She said that poliovirus had been eradicated worldwide, except in Pakistan and Afghanistan, using the same vaccine and people must inoculate their children.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2022