Sindh CS stresses district administrations’ role in polio eradication 

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah stressed the crucial role of divisional and district administration, along with revenue field staff in supporting polio workers during polio eradication campaigns in the province.
He was presiding over a review meeting of the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to evaluate the progress and challenges of the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) in the province.
The meeting discussed strategizing various aspects of the polio campaign, and discussed how divisional and deputy commissioners, along with revenue staff at the field and union council levels, can effectively support frontline polio workers.
The CS emphasized on forming support teams consisting of revenue and local government staff to assist polio workers, ensuring every child receives polio drops at their doorstep.
The meeting was also attended by the additional chief secretary for local government, Secretary I&C, National EOC coordinator, special secretary for health, commissioners from all six divisions of Sindh, Karachi DCs, PD EPI, EOC coordinator Sindh, and the PEOC core team.
The EOC Sindh coordinator Sindh provided comprehensive updates on the PEI, the fractional Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (f-IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) plans, and the role of revenue and municipal staff at the Union Council (UC) level.
The meeting served as a preparation step for the upcoming f-IPV campaign, which aims to vaccinate over one million children aged 4 months to 59 months, along with an additional 69,000 children under 4 months with OPV. 
The outreach-based campaign, scheduled to begin on August 15, 2024, will engage communities to bring children to designated vaccination points and will be executed in two phases, each comprising a 4-day campaign followed by a one-day catch-up, totaling 10 days.
Both the chief secretary and the EOC coordinator are focusing on staff motivation by acknowledging high performers and encouraging all personnel to take necessary actions.