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Centre ‘not allowing’ KP to purchase anti-polio vaccine
The reluctance of federal government to allow Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to purchase oral polio vaccine is hampering the plan of provincial government to carry out need-based immunisation, according to sources.
“We have been asking the federal government to allow us to buy vaccine as after the passage of 18th Amendment all matters relating to polio and other health subjects should be transferred to the provinces,” the officials concerned said.
They said that all the provinces were demanding of the centre to allow them to buy vaccine for their own needs but all requests fell on deaf ears. They added that ministry of health didn’t exist after the amendment and it was the legitimate right of the provinces to ensure availability of the vaccine on their own.
The officials said that federal government’s decision to create Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHSRC) after the passage of 18th Amendment caused problems for the provinces. “The ministry has been tasked to oversee the polio campaigns in the provinces and keep contact with the donor agencies but it is stuck with purchase and procurement of the OPV on behalf of the provinces because of the financial benefits,” they said.
Pakistan requires vaccine worth about Rs8 billion to immunise its 35 million children below the age of five every year. All the provinces look towards the federal ministry to buy vaccine and supply the same to the respective health departments but the provinces continue to suffer for want of timely provision of the OPV.
The provincial government has communicated to the centre that it is ready to purchase OPV from international market in line with the WHO’s guidelines to make sure immunisation of all children.
“The massive purchase of vaccine entailed financial benefits to people,” sources said. They added that federal government had already shifted other vertical programmes to the provinces after 18th Amendment but kept polio-related matters with it because of the benefits associated with it.
“For instance, MNHSRC is keeping liaison with the donor agencies like WHO, Unicef, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others on behalf of the provinces.
The people in the Prime Minister Polio Cell, working under MNHCO, negotiate with the donors on the behalf of the provinces,” sources said. According to them, these people also go on foreign tours where they discuss polio-related problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas where the disease have become endemic.
“The donor agencies are also comfortable to meet MNHSRC’s people in Islamabad and discuss the problems there instead of travelling to the provinces to meet the relevant officials and have true picture of the problems faced by them,” sources said.
They said that the province was required to run immediate vaccination campaigns in the areas from where cases were reported as rapid response to the situation but the province had to look towards the centre for provision of vaccine.
The WHO’s recommendations to administer OPV to all passengers flying abroad is the latest problem faced by the provincial health department.
The province needs additional OPV doses to ensure immunisation of about 12,000 people taking flights from here everyday but its current stock is only for routine immunisation activities.
“Even the local people flying abroad from other airports of the country will get vaccination at the hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” officials said, adding that the department needed 14,000 additional doses per day.
MNHSRC spokesman Mazhar Nisar told Dawn that provinces were free to buy vaccines on their own but he didn’t explain as to why the federal government was not allowing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces to acquire the stock on their own.
“About 27,000 people leave Pakistan via air every day for which we need only 90 million doses that isn’t a big issue,” he said.
Sources in the health department said they had stock to immunise children below the age of five but they could face problem to ensure adult immunisation in line with the WHO’s recommendations. The province had technical expertise to purchase, stockpile and distribute the vaccine, they added.
Centre ‘not allowing’ KP to purchase anti-polio vaccine - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
despicable of pmln leadership, such low life scums noonies are, I am at loss of words here to describe them !!
The reluctance of federal government to allow Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to purchase oral polio vaccine is hampering the plan of provincial government to carry out need-based immunisation, according to sources.
“We have been asking the federal government to allow us to buy vaccine as after the passage of 18th Amendment all matters relating to polio and other health subjects should be transferred to the provinces,” the officials concerned said.
They said that all the provinces were demanding of the centre to allow them to buy vaccine for their own needs but all requests fell on deaf ears. They added that ministry of health didn’t exist after the amendment and it was the legitimate right of the provinces to ensure availability of the vaccine on their own.
The officials said that federal government’s decision to create Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHSRC) after the passage of 18th Amendment caused problems for the provinces. “The ministry has been tasked to oversee the polio campaigns in the provinces and keep contact with the donor agencies but it is stuck with purchase and procurement of the OPV on behalf of the provinces because of the financial benefits,” they said.
Pakistan requires vaccine worth about Rs8 billion to immunise its 35 million children below the age of five every year. All the provinces look towards the federal ministry to buy vaccine and supply the same to the respective health departments but the provinces continue to suffer for want of timely provision of the OPV.
The provincial government has communicated to the centre that it is ready to purchase OPV from international market in line with the WHO’s guidelines to make sure immunisation of all children.
“The massive purchase of vaccine entailed financial benefits to people,” sources said. They added that federal government had already shifted other vertical programmes to the provinces after 18th Amendment but kept polio-related matters with it because of the benefits associated with it.
“For instance, MNHSRC is keeping liaison with the donor agencies like WHO, Unicef, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others on behalf of the provinces.
The people in the Prime Minister Polio Cell, working under MNHCO, negotiate with the donors on the behalf of the provinces,” sources said. According to them, these people also go on foreign tours where they discuss polio-related problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas where the disease have become endemic.
“The donor agencies are also comfortable to meet MNHSRC’s people in Islamabad and discuss the problems there instead of travelling to the provinces to meet the relevant officials and have true picture of the problems faced by them,” sources said.
They said that the province was required to run immediate vaccination campaigns in the areas from where cases were reported as rapid response to the situation but the province had to look towards the centre for provision of vaccine.
The WHO’s recommendations to administer OPV to all passengers flying abroad is the latest problem faced by the provincial health department.
The province needs additional OPV doses to ensure immunisation of about 12,000 people taking flights from here everyday but its current stock is only for routine immunisation activities.
“Even the local people flying abroad from other airports of the country will get vaccination at the hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” officials said, adding that the department needed 14,000 additional doses per day.
MNHSRC spokesman Mazhar Nisar told Dawn that provinces were free to buy vaccines on their own but he didn’t explain as to why the federal government was not allowing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces to acquire the stock on their own.
“About 27,000 people leave Pakistan via air every day for which we need only 90 million doses that isn’t a big issue,” he said.
Sources in the health department said they had stock to immunise children below the age of five but they could face problem to ensure adult immunisation in line with the WHO’s recommendations. The province had technical expertise to purchase, stockpile and distribute the vaccine, they added.
Centre ‘not allowing’ KP to purchase anti-polio vaccine - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
despicable of pmln leadership, such low life scums noonies are, I am at loss of words here to describe them !!
