Additional Chief Secretary FATA Commends EPI FATA Progress

Additional Chief Secretary FATA has lauded FATA EPI progress and emphasized improving overall status of immunization and reducing the child mortality rate.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2018 ) :Additional Chief Secretary FATA has lauded FATA EPI progress and emphasized improving overall status of immunization and reducing the child mortality rate.

ACS FATA Sikandar Qayum Khan said this while chairing a meeting at FATA Secretariat, Peshawar on Wednesday, says a press release issued here. In the meeting, Director Health Service (DHS) FATA Dr.

Jawad Habib Khan and Assistant Director EPI Dr. Iftikhar Ali briefed ACS and the participants on the improvement in the status of FATA Routine Immunization in FATA. The meeting was called by ACS FATA as a follow up on the directives of the Governor Khyber Paktunkhwa Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, regarding improving the status of Routine Immunization in FATA.

The Governor issued the directives in the FATA Task Force meeting held on March 9, 2018. Additional Chief Secretary FATA Sikandar Qayum expressed satisfaction over the improvement and progress made so far and emphasized that "targets set for 2018 should be achieved with transparency warranted at each and every step during implementation of various programs as maintained in the previous couple of years".

He said "FATA EPI progress is commendable but our focus should remain on achieving broader goals set under National Immunization Support Program and on expanding the synergy efforts of polio program".

Earlier DHS FATA Dr. Jawad Habib Khan presented facts and figures to the ACS FATA regarding progress made in routine immunization during past couple of years, especially, against targets of three year National Immunization Support Program launched at the start of 2017.

He shared that in comparison to 2016 the mortality rate in FATA has reduced. However, fully immunized children in FATA increased from 41% to 55% and geographic spread of routine immunization coverage increased from 44% to 57% of the FATA.

He told that "substantial achievements have been made during 2016 and 2017 mainly in strengthening management and improving capacity in technical areas with aim and efforts for increasing the spread of more equitable coverage of Routine Immunization".

DHS FATA Dr. Jawad Habib Khan said number of functionalized EPI Centers have also been increased from 254 to 324, number of areas with EPI Centers from 179 to 234, number of EPI technicians from 475 to 502 and number of solar Ice-lined-Refrigerator (ILR) from 254 to 367 during 2016 and 2017.

He informed that EVM Secretariat/Office has already been operationalized and functionalized in 2017, which is now coordinating with 500 RED/REC trained vaccinators, 42 vLMIS trained technicians/vaccinators and 14 FSMOs who are trained in both.

Moreover, synergy efforts under polio program have also increased and expedited. He shared that besides ADP and NISP other projects/programs such as CCEOP and CPEC are also providing financial support for improving the overall service delivery and status of routine immunization in FATA.

DHS FATA assured the forum that almost every aspect of routine immunization such as vaccine procurement, trainings of field staff, cold chain management, outreach and microplanning are in consideration for improvement to achieve targets set in NISP.

Dr. Jawad Habib shared that in 2018 Health Directorate FATA is planning to expand the number of functional EPI Centers to 500, EPI Technicians to 700, number of areas with EPI Centers to 350, number of solar Ice-lined-Refrigerator (ILR) to 400 and introduction of Rota vaccine in FATA around June 2018.