President underscores need for drug production in country: three-day anti-polio campaign kicked off

Reiterating government's commitment to banish polio from Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has called for the need to produce polio vaccines within the country. He said Pakistan and China had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation in manufacturing vaccines and expressed the hope that co-operation would also be extended to manufacture of polio vaccines in Pakistan for nation-wide anti-polio programmes.
Kicking off three-day national anti-polio campaign here at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday, the President said the government was mindful of the challenges polio campaign had been facing, adding "but no challenge was too big to stop us from saving our children from polio. We cannot be the last country to eradicate polio."
The President said some extremists had opposed polio eradication plans, but in the Pakistan of the Quaid-e-Azam and Quaid-e-Awam "we cannot allow extremists to stop us from carrying forward the welfare agenda." With democracy taking roots, those forces were bound to fail, the President said. He said the government was aware of the recent challenges in North and South Waziristan where certain groups imposed a ban on polio campaigns.
He said that "we are meeting the challenge with locally appropriate solutions and in accordance with local traditions and norms." The President said the government was also mindful of the recent incidents of violence that took place in Karachi including attacks on World Health Organisation workers. He said the Sindh Government had been directed to take stern action against those elements and provide security to the international health teams.
He continued "we must strive to ensure that tomorrow's world is free of the scourge," adding that protecting the health and wellbeing of children was their collective responsibility. He said Polio was a crippling disease which continued to threaten opportunities for our children. Unfortunately, the President continued, Pakistan was among few countries, which was still not completely polio-free.
He said Polio Eradication Initiative was first launched by the government of 'my leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.' "Indeed the Lady Health Workers Programme and Polio Eradication Initiative were both launched by her government," the President remarked. Pakistan has come a long way from 1994, when the polio eradication campaign was first launched formally, the President observed. The President said that "our aim is to make Pakistan completely polio-free. We aim that no child lives in the fear of being crippled for life."
While recounting the progress made against the crippling disease, the President said the government took serious notice of increase in polio cases towards the end of 2010 and declared polio emergency. He said that a National Emergency Action Plan was developed in consultation with all Provincial governments and with the support of international partners. The plan, he said, introduced innovative strategies to stem the rise in polio cases.
The President said the National Emergency Action plan, which was launched in January last year, had the backing of all provincial governments and AJK. He said NEAP focused greater ownership, oversight and accountability at the Federal, Provincial, District and UC levels. Special measures have been devised to ensure access to the security compromised areas. Under the plan, he continued, district administration was given leadership role and responsibility for polio eradication.
The President said he was pleased to note that the Chief Ministers were keeping an eye on the campaign. They had set up Special Monitoring Cells in their offices and inaugurating every campaign, he continued. He said the provinces had instituted a system of zero tolerance for inefficacy and negligence, adding as a result the quality of the anti-polio campaign was improving with every campaign.
He said that "we are reaching out to more and more children." "Previously 42 percent districts reported 95 percent coverage. Now 80 percent districts are reporting 95 percent coverage. It is a marked improvement," the President expressed satisfaction. He said a special civil-military co-ordination committee had been formed in all seven agencies of Fata. Appreciating the positive role played by sectors outside the health, international partners and NGOs in the polio eradication campaign, the President said "we need this spirit of partnership in the country at this critical time. Let us pledge that no child who should get polio drops will be missed out."
The President also said "we are aware of the concerns of international community towards polio situation in Pakistan." He said that during his recent visit to New York he held meetings with various international stockholders to assure them that the Government was addressing the issues. The President urged all to make every effort and use all resources to ensure that every child was reached during the campaign and every subsequent campaign.-PR