Summary The PTI health campaign aims to inoculate around 754,000 children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - The Khyber Pakhutnkhwa government has finally launched its “Justice for Health” campaign in the province.
The provincial health minister Shaukat Yousafzai inaugurated the programme from Shaheen Muslim Town area of Peshawar on Sunday.
During the campaign, thousands of children of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be vaccinated against nine deadly diseases including polio.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister said polio teams were attacked due to Dr Shakil Afridi s fake vaccination programme. He said the healthcare programme will be continued till April 21.
Shaukat Yousafzai said it was one of the first healthcare reforms ever initiated in Pakistan against nine deadly diseases.
Around 5,000 PTI volunteers are participating in the campaign, he added.
Explaining about the mechanics of the programme, KPK minister said the campaign will be run in 50 union councils in first and second week while 100 union councils will be covered in third week.
The campaign aims to inoculate around 754,000 children.
Meanwhile, strict security measures were ensured to avoid any untoward incident. The provincial government had banned pillion riding while suspended mobile services before the inauguration.
Earlier, the anti-polio campaign was deferred for one week in Peshawar due to security threats.
According to district administration, anti-polio drive was scheduled to begin in 40 union councils of Peshawar last Sunday. However, the campaign was postponed for one week due to security threats.
It is important to mention that polio workers had been targeted across the country including Peshawar and Karachi.
Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic, but efforts to stamp out the crippling disease have been hit by repeated attacks on health teams.
Officials blame the violence and suspicions about the vaccine for a surge in cases. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan recorded 72 cases of polio in 2013 compared to 58 in 2012.
