ECO KP Organizes Orientation Session Paediatricians

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Oct, 2024) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa organized a two-day orientation session for leading paediatricians and healthcare providers of Bannu and D.I Khan divisions in collaboration with provincial chapter of Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and with the support of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) here at a local hotel.

The orientation session was aimed at chalking out a strategy for overcoming the existing challenges in eradication of polio virus in the endemic zone of Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The session was chaired jointly by Deputy Coordinator EOC Muhammad Zeshan Khan and President PPA KP Prof Dr Muhamamd Hussain and attended by Dr Mushtaq Tanoli, District Health Officer, Abbottabad, Dr Tayeba Mumtaz.WHO, cabinet members of PPA KP, EOC officials and 30 leading healthcare providers each of Bannu and D.I Khan divisions.

Addressing the session, Deputy Coordinator EOC Muhammad Zeshan Khan said that polio eradication, being a national emergency, is among the top priorities of the government and the entire administrative machinery, law enforcement agencies and health department officials are actively participating in the whole process to oversee and manage ground challenges and ensure administration of polio drops to all eligible children.

Muhammad Zeshan Khan explained that in order to tackle the challenge of polio eradication and bridge the gaps in the program, the program has put in place various innovative strategies such as ring strategy, bikers’ strategy, Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) as well as the establishment of health camps which are bearing fruits and enabling the program to get access to unreachable pockets specially in Bannu and D. I Khan divisions and ensure the vaccination of maximum children.

However, he pointed out, the growing trends of boycotts and misconceptions about polio vaccines especially in southern KP are proving to be a major stumbling block in ensuring the vaccination of all eligible children in vaccination drives

Highlighting the critical role of paediatricians in supporting the government to protect our children from this crippling disease and achieve the goal of polio free Pakistan, he said that as healthcare providers are regarded as a very significant and respected segment of society and people from all walks of life listen to them very seriously and act upon their advice, they can play a pivotal role in shaping the public opinion in favour of polio vaccination and specifically in removing public misconceptions and resistance to polio vaccines.

Therefore, he added, the program is focusing on engaging senior doctors, paediatricians, local healthcare providers and clinicians to orient them on the changing program dynamics and challenges with the aim of bringing them on board so as to raise the voice base for polio vaccination and essential immunization through these trusted voices and help remove the misgivings in the communities regarding safety and efficacy of polio vaccination and other essential immunization.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Professor Dr Afzal Khattak, representing PPA, thanked EOC for organizing the session to deliberate on the reasons and factors as a result of which the polio virus still survives in this reason.

He lamented that Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries on the face of the globe where the polio virus still survives and the emergence of frequent polio cases is very alarming adding that the keys to polio eradication are surveillance, case reporting and regular vaccination. He appreciated the efforts of front-line polio workers for reaching every nook and corner of the province and emphasized upon the healthcare providers to play their role in convincing the hesitant parents for vaccination of their children.

Addressing the session, President of PPA KP, Professor Dr Muhammad Hussain highlighted the critical role of healthcare professionals in the eradication of VPDs including polio and emphasized that healthcare providers are required to harbour a strong resolve and firm commitment for the eradication of all such diseases.

He stressed on the increased knowledge for healthcare providers for tackling health challenges at the community level. Dr Hussian termed immunization as one of the greatest success stories of the past century and stressed on the pediatricians and other healthcare providers to create awareness about the significance of vaccination and promote a sustained culture of vaccination acceptability at the community level so that we may be able to eradicate all VPDs including polio.

Technical experts of the program including Dr. Tayeba WHO and Mian Shahab, Advocacy & Communication Officer EOC, delivered detailed presentations on the existing operational and communication strategies and achievements of the program and placed the existing challenges including misconceptions about vaccines among the communities before the participants, sought their support in raising increased risk perception among the communities and removing the existing misconceptions about vaccines in their respective areas.

The workshop proved to be a very insightful and interactive session and the participants suggested valuable suggestions and strategies to overcome the existing challenges in operation, communication and surveillance to further improve polio eradication efforts and ensure the eradication of this crippling disease once and for all. At the conclusion of the workshop, the chief guest distributed certificates among the participants.