EOC KP Organizes Orientation Workshop For Healthcare Provides On Polio Eradication

(@FahadShabbir)

EOC KP organizes orientation workshop for healthcare provides on polio eradication

Additional Secretary Health (polio), Abdul Basit has stressed on the healthcare providers from the 18 super high risk union councils of Shaheen Muslim Town One (SMT) to help government reach the finish line by addressing the hardcore refusals in the community

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Mar, 2021 ) :Additional Secretary Health (polio), Abdul Basit has stressed on the healthcare providers from the 18 super high risk union councils of Shaheen Muslim Town One (SMT) to help government reach the finish line by addressing the hardcore refusals in the community.

He said this while speaking at an orientation workshop organized by Provincial Emergency Operations Center Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in collaboration with UNICEF and Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA).

AC Inayat Atta, Team Lead WHO, Dr Gedi, Technical Focal Person EOC, Dr Imtiaz, National Professional Officer WHO Dr Sarfaraz Afridi and communication team EOC were also present on the occasion.

Expanding on this thoughts, Additional Secretary Health (polio) & Coordinator EOC, Abdul Basit said that community listens to doctors and healthcare providers and act on their advices therefore they can play an effective advocacy role in community sensitization on essential immunization and polio eradication that will give final push to the virus circulating in the environment and hitting the empty guts.

He said that the activity will help capacitate the pool of doctors with programmatic knowledge and communication skills for addressing polio related medical misconceptions of the communities at grassroot level.

Abdul Basit thanked the doctors and healthcare givers for their active participation in the activity and asking questions related to polio vaccination that were duly responded by the technical experts on polio.

"I hope that after the orientation session, the doctors fraternity will be better equipped and well informed to respond to community's concerns and queries on polio and the resistance of community on people will decrease significantly after the moot", he expressed the hope.

Senior Pediatrician and General Secretary Pakistan Pediatric Association, Dr. Bawar Shah gave detailed presentation on frequently asked questions about polio, Oral Polio Vaccine, Inactivated Polio Vaccine, how does polio spreads and its prevention.

He said that certain conditions such as competition from other enteroviruses (non-polio enteroviruses), frequent diarrhoea and malnutrition limit the efficacy of OPV in developing countries necessitating repeated doses of oral polio drops.

Technical Focal Person PEOC, Dr.

Imtiaz Ali Shah oriented participants about Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) history, poliomyelitis, types and virus strains, Global, National and Regional polio updates, programme priorities and regional challenges.

He also discussed key challenges for the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) with specific focus on southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saying that virus is circulating in the region and is hitting empty guts.

Dr. Imtiaz shared updated status of polio cases in the province and oriented participants about Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) history, poliomyelitis, types and virus strains, Global, National and Regional polio updates, Programme priorities and regional challenges.

He also discussed key challenges for the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) with specific focus on super high-risk union councils of Shaheen Muslim Town (SMT) saying that virus is circulating in the region and is hitting children with lifelong disabilities.

Communication Officer UNICEF, Ms. Shadab Younas apprised participants on the key communication challenges in SHRUCs and on communication strategies to address these challenges.

She said that misconceptions form the big chunk of refusals and such activities will help in building capacity of the local healthcare providers on addressing medical misconceptions at the community level.

She said we want to engage healthcare providers as advocates for addressing community concerns on vaccine safety and efficacy and other medical misconceptions related to polio immunization.

She also dilated on the role of advocates in raising awareness on polio vaccination and addressing field challenges before it escalates and turn in to a bigger crisisEarlier, in the welcome note the Deputy District Health Officer, Dr. Waqar Ahmed, thanked the organizers for arranging the important activity saying that doctors are an important segment of society and urged the participants to play effective advocacy role by building public confidence in immunization services provided by the government free of cost with specific focus on polio vaccination which is mandatory for eradication of the disease from the globe.

Later on certificates were distributed among the participants with a vote of thanks by Additional Secretary Health (polio) and EOC officials.