Government to be blamed for Pakistan’s failure in Polio eradication: PMA Secretary General

Secreary General Pakistan Medical Association, Dr Mirza Ali Azhar urged the government to work aggressively alongside all state institutions in matters linked to the survival and dignity of our country.

In connection to the World Polio Day 2014, Dr Mirza said that reporting a greater number of polio cases in Pakistan this year reflects the failure of system, and government should be held responsible for it. He said all institutions and departments like health, education and economy run under a system and if the concerned authorities fail to deliver then the results reveal everything transparently.

He said that the Government and extremist groups that have launched propaganda against polio vaccination are responsible for this failure.

He said that the survival of a nation is entirely dependent upon good healthcare, and the government has failed miserably to deliver in this sector. He further stated that such matters are linked to the country’s dignity on an international level, and the Government must address this issue on priority basis. He said Pakistan was about to eliminate polio disease in 2004 but unfortunately the situation worsened over the last few years.

Dr Mirza stated that the civil society, Ulema, media and other segments of society have also failed to create necessary awareness about Polio. He said media has an important role in society and should therefore play its part in increasing vaccination ratio across the country. He said corruption in state run institutions is also a critical factor leading to failure of system. 

He urged the government to use all state institutions including Army, Rangers and Police in highly sensitive areas of the country to eradicate polio virus. He said that concerned authorities should improve the level of sanitation and hygiene across the country in order to get better results in public health for disease prevention.             

According to the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Sindh, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan has risen to 220 out of which 23 cases were reported in Sindh breaking all previous records of Polio in the country.