Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Tuesday urged political leaders, Ulema, teachers, parents, and people from all other walks of life to jointly struggle for eradication of crippling disease polio from the province.
Presiding over a high-level meeting at the Governor House, he also directed authorities concerned to monitor routine vaccination and immunisation programmes for eradication of polio and other such diseases.
During the meeting, which held in connection with ongoing six-day polio eradication campaign in the province, the Sindh governor announced an award for best performing district administration during the eradication of polio campaign.
He said the government has pledged to get Sindh rid of polio by the year-end, and expressed the hope that district administrations will co-operate with the provincial administration in this regard. "Now when our destination is few paces away, we will have to accelerate our efforts", he added.
Dr Ibad expressed the hope that owing to hectic efforts by the government, Pakistan will soon be excluded from the list of six countries, including Nigeria, Niger, India, Afghanistan and Egypt, where polio cases are sill being surfaced.
Lauding the role played by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Unicef and other foreign and local health organisations in eradication of polio from Pakistan, he said instead of relying others, Pakistanis themselves will have to initiate efforts for eradication of polio from the society.
Later, praising Dr Ishratul Ibad's efforts for eradication of polio from the province, WHO representative in Pakistan and a physician from Egypt, Dr Fateen Kamil, said Sindh was a 'fortunate' province to have the governor like him.
"The way the Sindh governor is taking interest in eradication of polio from the province, is indeed commendable", she said.
Unicef representative Dr Asif Aslam Farkhi and high-ups of the Sindh health department also praised the Sindh governor for holding meeting with Nazims and seeking their co-operation in eradication of polio campaign.
Sindh Advisor (Health) Faisal Gabool, Sindh Secretary Health Aashiq Hussain Memon, DG Health Services Hussain Bux Memon and other officials concerned also attended the meeting.