The government on Wednesday dispelled the impression that polio vaccine is substandard, saying it is purely according to World Health Organisation's standards.
Responding to a point of order, Health Minister Muhammad Nasir Khan informed the National Assembly that the government is making all out efforts to eradicate polio from the country.
He said there were around 20,000 polio cases in Pakistan while only 17 cases have been recorded this year. "We will be able to eradicate polio by the end of current year", he claimed.
"If our polio vaccine was substandard as to how these numbers fell down", Nasir Khan questioned. He assured the House that the government would never compromise on the quality of vaccine.
Earlier, Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, on a point of order, accused the government on using substandard polio vaccine. He was of the view that these drops would have negative effects after 10 to 12 years. The ARD chief urged the government to refer this serious issue to National Assembly standing committee on health, but the suggestion was not entertained by the NA Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.
The government has launched a three-day national immunisation campaign on Tuesday throughout the country. According to the Expanded Programme for Immunisation (EPI), the government has set a target to vaccinate 35 million children under five years of age.
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