Health committee urges enhanced immunization efforts as Mpox and Polio cases surge

PESHAWAR: A delegation of UNICEF officials called on the Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Health, Ihtisham Ali here and congratulated him on assuming new role and provided a comprehensive briefing on UNICEF’s support for the Health Department.
The UNICEF team was led by Dr Inam Ullah, alongside Immunization Officer Dr Kamran Qureshi, Additional Director General Public Health Dr Shahid Younas, Director Nutrition Dr Fazal Majeed and Director Maternal and Child Healthcare Dr Khizar Hayat, said a press release issued here Tuesday.
During the meeting, Dr Inam Ullah He outlined the various areas in which UNICEF was providing technical and financial assistance to the department and discussed installation and maintenance of oxygen plants in 10 districts across the province.
The Advisor was also briefed on the Integrated Service Delivery Program currently being implemented in the southern districts with UNICEF’s support. 
Dr Inam Ullah highlighted UNICEF’s collaboration in improving maternal health services, specifically in Torghar district, where the deployment of female doctors has significantly enhanced maternity care.
In addition, he said that UNICEF was supporting the department in areas such as cold chain management, digitalization, and immunization. 
The organization had also assisted in establishing the Social and Behavioral Change Cell within the Directorate General Health Services to enhance communication strategies.
UNICEF was playing a vital role in the digitalization of the health system, including technical support for the DHIS-2 system, which had been implemented in 15 districts.
Moreover, during the last floods, UNICEF helped in the rehabilitation and reactivation of 19 health centers affected by the disaster.
The team assured continued support of UNICEF in health sector in the province.