Peshawar - The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has launched a province-wide vaccination campaign, “Big Catch-Up,” aimed at immunizing children under the age of 5 against 12 deadly diseases.
The campaign was inaugurated by the Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Health, Ihtisham Ali, at the Molvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital in Peshawar. The 12-day campaign will target 78,000 zero-dose children and 1.2 million children who have received one or two doses of vaccines.
“The ‘Big Catch-Up’ campaign is a critical effort to protect our children from vaccine-preventable diseases. We urge all parents to get their children vaccinated and play their part in keeping our communities healthy and safe,” said Ihtisham Ali.
On the occasion, the Director of EPI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Asghar Khan, emphasized that the campaign will focus on reaching children who missed their vaccinations due to COVID-19 or other reasons. “Our teams will visit fixed centres, schools, and communities to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated,” said Dr Asghar Khan. “We appeal to all parents to cooperate with our teams and get their children vaccinated.”
The “Big Catch-Up” campaign is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other partners.
At the event, the Coordinator of the Emergency Operation Centre, Basit Ali, Medical Superintendent (MS) of Molvi Jee Hospital Dr Sher Khan Afridi, Pakistan Pediatrics Association President Dr Bawar Shah, CFO of UNICEF Radek, UNICEF Health Team Lead Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Inamullah, Deputy Director EPI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Mehtab, WHO Team Lead Dr Babar Alam, and representatives from the Health Department and UNICEF attended the ceremony.
Later in the day, the Advisor to the CM of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Health, Ihtisham Ali, announced the convening of the province’s first-ever Medical Superintendents (MS) Conference on Tuesday. The conference aimed at assessing the performance of MS across all districts and addressing administrative challenges in hospitals.
In his statement, the Health Advisor said that, for the first time in history, hospital administrators are being held accountable for their performance. He emphasized that, from today onwards, hospital management will be closely monitored, and a review of their performance will be conducted in the next meeting. The Health Department had already provided MS with a checklist to evaluate their performance.
The Advisor warned that hospitals facing medicine shortages, OPD inefficiencies, poor sanitation, inactive health card services, non-performing staff, or substandard emergency services will face immediate administrative action.
He further said that it is time for accountability of those in administrative positions, and after this, the department’s projects will also be reviewed. Instead of launching new initiatives, the government is focused on reviving and strengthening the existing system. He emphasized that an overhaul of the health sector is inevitable.
CM aide announces major educational initiative for Mardan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Advisor, Ihtesham Ali, has announced a major educational initiative for the people of Mardan and surrounding areas: the establishment of a sub-campus of the historic Islamia College. Official documentation and administrative processes for this project have already begun.
In this regard, Ihtesham Ali held a key meeting with the Minister for Higher Education, Meena Khan Afridi. The meeting resulted in an agreement to establish the Islamia College sub-campus in Mardan and initiate admissions for FA and FSc students in the upcoming academic year.
Speaking on the occasion, the Health Advisor said that this initiative is a gift from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to the people of Mardan, serving as a long-term investment in the education of future generations. The step will not only provide higher education opportunities to local students but also enhance access to quality education in the region.
