Kazi Jan Mohammad set to drive EPI by replicating successful polio eradication model

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Deputy Commissioner of Karachi Malir, Kazi Jan Mohammad, who earned worldwide recognition for his role in eradicating polio from Karachi against the heaviest of odds, has urged to replicate the successful model and save the precious lives by reviving the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

Presiding over a meeting of the Town Health Officers of his District, he called for practical and action-oriented approach to the EPI in order to make it more purposeful and effective instead of just going through the motions. 

“The successful model of polio eradication is in front of us and it should be used as a guideline for the EPI activities in future. There were efforts for eradication of polio since the 1990s but the results only came in a matter of months when an integrated approach was adopted. We need to come out of the comfort zone and let’s take the trouble of tackling the problem heads-on to accomplish our goals,” the DC advised the officers. 

“To get started let’s prepare a list of the resources we have at our disposal and what we really need to function in top gear. Let all the health officers get into action and do this fact-finding without exaggeration or manipulation. To achieve this objective we will have a weekly meeting at my office for the next couple of months. Then we will convene these meetings fortnightly for four more months before making it a monthly event,” Kazi Jan Mohammad announced.

“We have assembled here to achieve the results by fast-tracking our efforts. We do have the support for resource mobilization. We are prepared to arrange for the resources without which we cannot work effectively. We are ready to provide generators or even manage electricity connections at places which don’t have power at the moment. We can’t expect to work without being fully equipped,” he explained. 

“The scale of outbreak of various diseases and the resulting deaths indicated that the routine immunisation targets were being missed and majority of the children were not vaccinated against the preventable diseases. We have to act swiftly and responsibly. We have to enhance our outreach. We have to increase the rate of efficiency as well as the rate of coverage,” he emphasized. 

The participants of the meeting were informed about the salient features of the polio eradication programme undertaken by the office of the Deputy Commissioner. They were offered to centralize their efforts by networking with the polio control room.