KHAR: Showing his concern over the frequent detection of polio cases in Bajaur tribal district over the past three months, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Babar Bin Atta on Saturday asked the local administration and health department to adopt result-oriented mechanism to eradicate polio from the region.

“The federal government, and especially the prime minister, was disappointed with the detection of five polio cases in Bajaur in a span of less than three months and I have directed the senior officials of district administration and health department to speed up their anti-polio activities in the region,” said Mr Atta while speaking to mediapersons after attending the meeting of District Polio Eradication Committee here in Khar.

He said that the unexpected detection of five polio cases in Bajaur, which had been free of poliovirus since 2012, had stunned the federal government and the donor organisations. He said that he had come to Bajaur on the special instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan to know about the causes of the recent polio cases and anti-polio activities by the relevant departments.

Babar says govt to appoint 2,200 health workers in the district

Mr Atta said that during a meeting with the officials of the local administration and health department he asked them to adopt an effective strategy to rid the region of polio disease.

He said that most of the recent cases were reported in Tali area of Salarzai tehsil. He criticised the senior officials of local administration and health department for poor monitoring of anti-polio activities.

The focal persons said that seven officials of polio programme in Bajaur had been terminated for showing serious negligence in their duties.

He said that the federal government had decided to appoint 2,200 permanent health workers in the district to bring improvement in the anti-polio activities in the region.

Deputy commissioner, Bajaur, Usman Mehsood told mediapersons that the administration along with the health department had accelerated anti-polio activities after detection of new polio cases in the region.

Meanwhile, Mr Mehsood directed the officials of government departments to improve their performance. He was speaking to officials of government departments during his visit to various offices in the civil colony here the other day.

He checked the attendance registers and warned that action would be taken against employees found absent from duty.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2019