Our Correspondent
Lower Dir: An important meeting was held in Lower Dir regarding preparations for the anti-polio campaign starting on December 15.
Chaired by Deputy Commissioner Dir Lower Muhammad Arif Khan, the meeting thoroughly reviewed arrangements for the district-wide anti-polio drive. Additional Deputy Commissioner General, Assistant Commissioners, District Health Officer, N. Staff Officer Dr. Ehsan, EPI Coordinator Dr. Wali Khan, W.H.O. representative Dr. Asfandyar, and other stakeholders attended the meeting.
The session reviewed all key components including the security plan, team training, micro-plan updates, field coverage, and provision of logistics. The Health Department briefed that all preparations for the campaign had been completed.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Arif Khan said that polio eradication is a vital national responsibility, emphasizing the need for strong inter-governmental coordination. He directed all departments to ensure full support and collaboration with field teams during the campaign. The anti-polio drive will run from December 15 to 18.
The Deputy Commissioner made a special appeal to parents, guardians, and community elders to ensure their children are vaccinated. He added that the polio drops are essential for the health, future, and safe life of children, and that public cooperation is crucial to achieving a polio-free Pakistan.
All departments assured their complete support for the success of the campaign.
Later, the Deputy Commissioner, along with Additional Deputy Commissioner General and District Health Officer Dr. Muhammad Niaz Afridi, formally inaugurated the anti-polio campaign by administering drops to a young girl.
In the upcoming campaign, 306,061 children across Dir district will be vaccinated. For this purpose, 1,465 polio teams, 325 area in-charges, and 41 UCMOs have been deployed.
The Deputy Commissioner once again urged all parents to cooperate with Health Department teams and ensure that their children receive two polio drops during the campaign to ensure complete protection against the disease.
