Bill Gates hails KP’s anti-polio campaign

KARACHI (Web Desk) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was hailed on Tuesday by Bill Gates for his efforts in trying to eradicate polio virus from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The philanthropist and chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation called and congratulated Imran Khan on expediting ‘Sehat Ka Ittehad’, a successful anti-polio campaign in the province. He assured the leader of PTI of his continuing support to KP government in eradicating the disease from the province.

Imran Khan stressed his aim to make KP a polio-free province and proclaimed that the provincial government was making all out efforts to effectively complete the anti-polio campaign.

‘Sehat Ka Ittehad’ is the brainchild of PTI chairman Imran Khan, according to a KP health-official. Though there are differences with the federal government, but healthcare had been imparted equal significance by all.

It has been revealed that 96 per cent of polio cases had been reported among the Pashto-speaking population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. Children below the age of 2 years of age cater to 82 per cent cases according to Statistics which shows that parents might have reservations in getting their children vaccinated or the teams could not access those children.

Lack of female vaccinators could be the reason for this factor, the officials say, since they are generally more welcome to enter houses to administer polio drops.

Astonishingly, a figure of 80 per cent for polio cases in the world is attributed to Pakistan alone.

It is stated in a progress report, “The situation is primarily due to a lack of access to children for vaccination, largely owing to a continuing ban on immunisation imposed by militants in the North and South Waziristan, and insecurity and killing of polio workers in the field.”

While talking to Imran Khan, Bill Gates also extended condolence over the killing of 131 students during attack by militants on a school in Peshawar. TTP had assumed the responsibility for the attack.