Islamabad - The senators on Wednesday urged the Senate body on health to conduct an inquiry upon the damage done to polio eradication programme in country and fix the responsibility.
The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) was held here to discuss the issues of immunisation programme performance, promotion cases problems in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and awarding of allowances to doctors and staff before the budget.
While discussing the immunisation and polio programme, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq and Senator Dr. Ghous Bakhsh Niazi urged committee to initiate investigations in misappropriations done in the polio eradication programme.
The senators demanded to summon the previous Prime Minister Focal Person (PMFP) on Polio Eradication Programme (PEP) Babr Bin Atta and hold an inquiry. Senator Ghous Bakhash Niazi also asked Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) to present the inquiry report it prepared on misappropriations held in the programme.
Senator Ayesha Raza farooq said that due to negligence of the sitting government the virus eliminated from other parts of the world again emerged in the country.
Senator Ghous Bakhsh Niazi added that the committee must be also informed about the corruption done in the polio programme.
Senator Beharamand Tangi remarked that majority of the polio cases have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the issue must be discussed on single point agenda. The senators also demanded a separate briefing on Expanded Immunization Program (EPI) performance.
The committee decided to take a thorough presentation on the percentage/coverage of immunization/vaccination of children under the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the country as well as a separate report on the statistics of the polio programme and what is being done to control the damage that has been done in recent past resulting in higher number of cases.
The committee also discussed in detail the matters of injustice in promotion cases in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, mushroom growth of private hospitals and clinics in Islamabad, appointments in Health Service Academy, delay in functioning of healthcare authority, promotion of medical students to next classes in case of compartment of paper(s).
The committee recommended that the budget session allowance should be granted to the doctors and paramedical staff that work beyond their routine work hours in the Parliament House on the analogy of other government departments who get the allowance.
The ministry told the committee that there is no second opinion on the matter and the delay occurred only due to lack of finances for which summary has been moved.