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Published 13 Nov, 2004 12:00am

HYDERABAD: WHO urged to revise polio eradication strategy

HYDERABAD, Nov 12: The adviser to the Sindh chief minister on health, Mr Faisal Gabol, has expressed dissatisfaction over results of the anti-polio campaign and urged the World Health Organization to revise its strategy which has failed to achieve the objective.

He was speaking on Thursday evening at a meeting which was attended by Sindh Health Secretary Prof Naushad Shaikh, the director-general of Sindh health services, Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi, and the EDOs of health.

The adviser said that after completing 49 rounds of the anti-polio campaign since 1991, Sindh had not yet achieved the status of a polio-free province while China and Bangladesh achieved the objective with less rounds.

He said that corruption was the main cause behind the failure of the campaign as some people were hanging on to the anti-polio campaign due to lucrative packages.

He said that mismanagement, lack of coordination, proper physical monitoring and survey system had badly affected the exercise. He regretted that district nazims were not cooperating in the campaign due to their political affiliations and urged the WHO that instead of involving "district monitoring teams" the campaign should be carried out under the administrative control of the Sindh health department.

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