The anti-polio campaign in Karachi will begin on Monday. The Karachi administration has finalized the arrangements, aiming to administer polio drops to over 2.1 million children. Authorities have deployed more than 7,000 security personnel to ensure the safety of vaccination teams and the smooth conduct of the campaign.
The week-long campaign will run from February 2 to 8, involving a large workforce. Over 22,000 polio workers, more than 2,700 area in-charges, and 267 Union Council Medical Officers across the city will perform their duties with support.
The final preparations for the vaccination campaign were reviewed in a high-level meeting chaired by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi. The Karachi administration, in collaboration with the Health Department, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), UNICEF, and other international organizations, has developed a comprehensive plan for the effective implementation of the program.
Commissioner Naqvi confirmed that all possible efforts are being made to achieve the target of 100% coverage. He emphasized that all participating institutions will work in a coordinated manner to ensure the campaign’s success. The meeting, attended by all deputy commissioners and key health officials, also discussed measures to motivate and support frontline health workers.
A special strategy has been devised to enhance the performance of vaccinators. Assistant commissioners will supervise the campaign in their respective sub-divisions and provide guidance to polio workers and area in-charges. A micro-plan has been formulated, and special training for health workers has been completed.
Furthermore, area in-charges have received special training focused on building partnerships with parents and the community. This includes skills to persuade parents of children who were previously missed or whose parents had refused vaccination, a strategy that was recently refined in training sessions held in Sachal Goth and Sohrab Goth towns.