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PESHAWAR, Oct 24 (APP):Frontline health workers are the heroes of the nation, who are working in challenging environments, facing social barriers and even threats to their safety without ever losing their dedication.
We express our sincere gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of frontline health workers who bring the life-saving polio vaccine to children across the province, protecting millions of children from the crippling disease of polio.
This was stated by speakers at an event organized by Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of UNICEF on Friday at Jirga Hall in KP Assembly to mark World Polio Day.
The event was organized to pay homage and express gratitude to the resilience and dedication of frontline health workers across the province on the occasion of World Polio Day which is commemorated on October 24 every year.
Former provincial Health Minister, Syed Qasim Ali Shah and Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Mehsud graced the occasion as the chief guests while provincial lawmakers including Daud Khan, Ms. Ashbar Jan Jadoon and Meher Sultana, Additional Secretary Health/EOC Coordinator Shafiullah Khan, Deputy Coordinator EOC Latif-ur-Rahman, Technical Focal Person PEI, representatives of partner organizations including Rotary International, NSTOP, WHO and UNICEF, EOC officials and a large number of frontline health workers were in attendance.
Addressing the event, Syed Qasim Ali Shah said that polio eradication is a national cause and we are committed to eradicate this crippling disease.
Acknowledging the hard work and dedication of polio workers, he added, “I want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our polio teams, vaccinators, and health staff who reach every household — often in remote, high-risk, and security-sensitive areas.”
Appreciating the critical role of different segments of society, he said, “My appreciation also extends to the district administration, police, health department, religious scholars, community elders and the media whose support keeps the polio eradication program strong.”
He also acknowledged and highly appreciated the role of international development partners including WHO, UNICEF, Rotary, BMGF, and others, adding that their role remains invaluable in supporting our technical and operational capacities.
In order to ensure the complete eradication of polio virus, we need to strengthen our routine immunization program across the province, he concluded.
Addressing the event, Commissioner Peshawar, Riaz Mehsud said that polio eradication is one of the top priorities of the government and the entire government machinery from top to bottom including district administration, health department and law enforcement agencies are working in close coordination to ensure the complete eradication of this crippling disease.
He highlighted the challenges being faced by frontline health workers and highly appreciated the tireless efforts, dedication and hard work of polio workers to ensure the vaccination of children to protect them from lifelong disabilities with polio virus.
Commissioner Peshawar also acknowledged the critical role and support of international partners in the fight against this crippling disease.
Addressing the event, Shafiullah Khan, Additional Secretary Health/EOC Coordinator, said that Emergency Operations Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is working under a coordinated plan to completely eradicate this virus and is continuously conducting anti-polio campaigns so that no child is deprived of the polio vaccine.
Referring to the progress made in containing the virus circulation, he said that over the past year, KP has significantly improved campaign quality and surveillance, particularly in previously underperforming districts, adding that we have strengthened microplanning, accountability, and cross-sectoral coordination, to ensure better oversight and community engagement.
He added that KP has made significant improvement in vaccination coverage as in the last four rounds, the number of still refusals, missed children and as well as leftovers due to demand-based boycotts has dropped significantly.
However, he cautioned that despite these gains, isolated virus detections and reporting of new polio cases remind us that our fight is not yet over as we continue to face mobility challenges, misinformation, and vaccine hesitancy in certain communities.
He also acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts and sacrifices of frontline health workers and law enforcement agencies in the fight against polio.
Members of provincial assembly including Daud Khan and Ms. Ashbar Jan Jadoon also addressed the event and stressed on collective efforts to eradicate polio from the province.
They highly appreciate the role of FLWs in polio eradication.
Addressing the event, Maulana Tayyeb Qureshi, Chief Khateeb KP, said that religious scholars of all schools of Islamic though have endorsed polio vaccination, adding that it is our collective responsibility to eradicate polio from the province to ensure a safer and healthier future for our coming generations.
At the conclusion of the event, certificates were distributed among frontline health workers for their exceptional services, dedication and passion to eradicate polio.
Later, a polio walk was also organized to create awareness among the people about the significance of eradicating this crippling disease once and for all.
Provincial lawmakers, health department officials, partners representatives, EOC officials as well as frontline health workers participated in the polio walk.