DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 16: A team formed under a directive of the EDO for health has detected three cases of polio as well as many loopholes in the implementation plan of anti-polio campaign in the district.

The two-member counter analysis team, comprising District Health Development Centre (DHDC) programme-director Dr Umer Farooq and MPT Dr Naeem Baluch, randomly inspected BHUs and RHCs of the district in July.

The team found that Abdul Kareem, son of Esa Khan, born on Oct 9, 2003, at Mauza Haider Qureshi Chah Nai Wala, was suffering from polio despite the fact that he had been issued an EPI Card (No 1236) on Oct 13.

The other two cases were reported from the tribal areas. Residents of Rakhi Nawalagh informed the team that five-year-old Dur Mohammed, son of Muhammad Khan Kaloee, had contracted polio. The health department had no record of the case.

The third case came to the knowledge of the concerned health authorities through a letter from one Shikar Khan Bijrani, who claimed that the son of Paind Khan Bijrani, resident of Mutfariq Chahan Choti Zaireen, was suffering from polio.

The report says that there have been many loopholes and shortcomings in the implementation plan of the anti-polio campaign. As many as 32 phases have been completed but a majority of field workers and volunteers still do not know how to dispense vaccine to a child.

The director-general of health services has issued orders that training should be conducted at the DHDC. However, the programme-director claimed that not a single training course had been conducted at the DHDC since he took charge in May 2002.

The field workers also do not take care of the cold chain. Many refrigerators provided by Unicef to BHUs, those at Nari, Dona and Rakhi Moun to name a few, are not working any more.

The report has exposed fake recruitment of volunteers for the campaign. At Rakhi Moun in the tribal areas, 15 volunteers were recruited according to the record but only four were found performing their duty in the field. Similarly, according to the record of Aali Wala BHU, as many as 13 volunteers were recruited, but only eight were found working.

During the July campaign, the counter analysis team did not see any advertisement from Dera Ghazi Khan to Taunsa Sharif. In the tribal area, even umbrellas had not been distributed among field workers to protect them from the sun.

Under the micro-level plan of the anti-polio campaign prepared by district health services, non-gazetted employees of the health department have been appointed as zonal supervisors to supervise the working of areas in-charge, who are medical officers in Grade 17 or 18.

The arrangement is obviously illogical - how can a subordinate supervise the officer. The report says it is a clear violation of the orders of the Punjab health services director-general.

The report indicates that the polio campaign is being controlled by a mafia. For instance, when the doctor in charge of Hairo Sharqi in Taunsa Sharif tehsil made a complaint against an absent vaccinator, he was replaced and the vaccinator promoted as the zonal supervisor.

The report has suggested that the coverage of routine immunization should be improved. In China, polio virus was eliminated by launching only a one-day campaign because its coverage was 85 per cent. In Pakistan, campaign's coverage has been as low as 35 per cent.

The report suggested that Dr Khalid, surveillance officer of the campaign and Dr Farid, in charge of the campaign, should be replaced. EDO Dr Faiz Ali Jaskani was not available for comments. However, Dr Umer Farooq told Dawn that the report had been submitted to the authorities concerned for necessary action.