Immunization, Polio Drops Proposed As Mandatory For ID Cards, B-Form And Passports
Abdullah Hussain (@Abdulla99267510) Published December 21, 2024 | 03:50 PM
Members of Parliament give proposal during a meeting of Parliamentary Caucus’s Special Committee on polio eradication
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Dec 21st, 2024) The members of the parliament on Saturday proposed making immunization and polio drops mandatory for the issuance of identity cards, B-Forms and passports.
The members gave the proposal during a meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus's Special Committee on Polio Eradication.
Prime Minister's Coordinator for National Health Services Dr. Malik Mukhtar said that the efforts to eradicate polio in the country still faced the challenges.
However, the Prime Minister is personally overseeing the campaign.
At the meeting held in the Parliament House,
Dr. Mukhtar revealed that nine polio cases have been reported from a single union council in Dera Ismail Khan, stating that the complete success in the fight against polio is not possible without the cooperation of parents.
Dr. Nikhat Shakeel, the Parliamentary Caucus Convener for Child Rights Protection, described the rising polio cases as a national emergency.
She said that while polio workers sacrificed their lives to eradicate the disease in Pakistan, the country has still not been able to eliminate polio even after three decades. She also said that before the anti-polio program, more than 20,000 children in Pakistan were left disabled annually.
Muhammad Ali Khan of PTI stressed the importance of involving prominent religious scholars and local leaders in the anti-polio program.
Shahida Rehmani, the JUI-F member of the assembly, said that when a polio outbreak occurred in Lakki Marwat, Maulana Fazlur Rehman personally visited households to administer polio drops to children.
Barrister Aqeel Malik underlined the importance of linking vaccines to birth registrations and school enrollments, suggesting that the legislation should be enacted against parents who failed to vaccinate their children against polio and other preventable diseases.
