Peshawar, March 14: In a PILDAT briefing session on Critical Need to Improve Immunization & Draft Legislation for compulsory Immunization, experts believed that a committee of MPAs should be constituted especially for monitoring of performance of immunization campaign in KPK. They stressed on the public representatives to play their role in creating awareness among the masses.

Honourable Mr. Karama Ullah Khan, Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, was chief guest of the session while he was joined by Ms. Shazia Tehmas Khan, MPA, convener Parliamentary Caucus to promote Immunization, KPK, Dr. Prikko Heineonen, Health Specialist UNICEF, Dr. Janbaz Khan, Director, Expanded Programme of Immunization, KPK and Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT.

In the last 2 years, polio has had a 71% increase in Pakistan with 84 cases of polio in 2009 to 144 and rising in 2010-2011. Afghanistan, India and even Nigeria, the alarming cases earlier, have seen improvements in polio reduction in this period. Of the 144 cases of polio in Pakistan in 2010, 74 occurred in FATA and 28 in KPK.

Mr. Karamat Ullah Khan while speaking on the occasion appreciated the role of PILDAT in highlighting issues of national importance. He said that solar refrigerators should be installed in each basic health unit for maintaining cold chain. He stressed that public representatives, media and religious leaders should play their role in creating awareness among the masses and to overcome misconceptions.

Dr. Prikko Heineonen, while explaining the importance of Immunization, said that with help of immunization we have been able to control measles. She said that unfortunately polio still exists in Pakistan especially in KPK and FATA. Vaccines are to be kept in cold chain and electricity shortage is a big hurdle in this regard. She believed that immunization to all IDPs is an important task. She stressed that public representative�s support is very important in reaching far-off areas and people.

Dr. Janbaz Kha briefed the session about importance of immunization. He said that Pakistan is one of only four countries in the world where polio still exists, and Pakistan is the only country where number of polio cases is on the rise. He said that in 2010, out of 140 polio cases, 28 cases were detected in KPK, 74 in FATA and 27 in Sindh. He said that accessibility, lake of awareness and low performance of immunization teams are a hurdle in this regard. He requested Parliamentarians to play their role in creating awareness among masses and monitoring the performance of administration. He suggested that a committee of MPAs should be constituted especially for monitoring of performance of immunization campaign.

Ms. Shazia Tehmas Khan, MPA, showed her concerns that after 32 years of immunization campaign polio is still exist in Pakistan. She believed that the task forces, health officials, standing committee on health should play their role and parliamentarians should monitor the whole process. Introducing the Session, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT, said that PILDAT�s effort is to create awareness in public representatives and involve them into immunization campaigns. He said that the objective behind holding the discussion is to provoke a much-needed debate and discussion on the need to make immunization campaigns more effective in Pakistan through oversight by the public representatives.