LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister’s Adviser on Health Kh Salman Rafiq has stressed the need for enhancing coverage of routine immunization up to 100 per cent for eliminating vaccine preventable diseases.
Addressing inaugural session of training workshop for master trainers for EPI supervisors at Punjab Health Development Center on Tuesday, the adviser said that routine immunization coverage in Punjab was 70 per cent which was better than the other areas of the country, but still there was need for hard work to save women and children from diseases.
Health Director General Dr Zahid Pervaiz, PHDC Director Dr Sohail Saqlain, officers of Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) doctors and nutrition supervisors from different districts were present.
This workshop will continue till April 16.
Kh Salman Rafiq said that strict monitoring and E-vaccs system had been launched in Punjab to monitor and evaluate the working of vaccinators at district level. “Moreover, Chief Minister himself holds meetings every month to review the situation and evaluate the performance of Health Department,” he added.
He said that efforts of officials and a better strategy had resulted in success against the vaccine preventable diseases. However, this achievement was not enough and all the stakeholders would have to work hard for the success of EPI programme, he added.
Salman further said that only four polio cases were reported in Punjab last year. Out of these, fourth case of polio had migrated from Loralai, he informed.
The Health DG said that the healthy society could only be created if routine immunization coverage reached up to 100pc. He advised the master trainers to train more vaccinators besides counseling them for promoting a sense of responsibility.
Separately, after the inspection of under-construction surgical tower in Mayo Hospital, the adviser assured that the government would allocate additional funds for the completion of the during the current fiscal year.
He was accompanied by Punjab Health DG Dr Zahid Pervaiz, Surgical Tower Project Director Prof Sadaqat Ali, MS Dr Amjad Shahzad, Dr Salman Kazmi. Prof Sadaqat Ali told the Kh Salman that the surgical tower had been designed to meet the modern needs and the project had been delayed due to changes in PC-1 and additions.
“However, efforts have been made for making outdoor and radiology ward functional by the end of the current financial year,” he added. The project director also informed the adviser that the building had been completed while finishing and civil work were to be carried out.
Kh Salman said that government had approved 11,000 new posts for the promotion of doctors. “An attractive pay package has also been evolved for specialist doctors working at DHQ and THQ hospitals,” he added.
He said that there were some technical reasons for the delay in surgical tower. However, a joint meeting of Health, C&W, Finance and P&D Departments would be convened next week in which timeline would be decided for the completion of surgical tower, he added.
“It will also be decided that how many floors can be made functional by June 2015 while minimum time limit will also be fixed for completion of the pending work,” Salman said.