Islamabad, September 27, 2013: Members of the Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan agreed to present resolutions in their Provincial Legislatures to stress their Governments to observe 24th October as Polio Awareness Day in all the Government and Private Schools of their respective Provinces. Provincial Legislators, interested in the subject of Health gathered at a PILDAT Consultative Session on Child Health in Islamabad today as the standing committees on Health have yet to be constituted in the four Provincial Assemblies.

Speakers at the consultative Discussion included Mr. Shaoukat Ali Yousafzai, Minister of Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Mehreen Razaq Bhutto and Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Members National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, Mr. Mazhar Nisar, National Health Education Adviser/ Director Implementation, Ministry of Nation Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and Dr. Taimur Shah, Assistant Director, EPI, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chairing the Consultative Session, Mr. Shaoukat Ali Yousafzai, Minister of Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said many flaws still existed in Health Department of the Province. However, PTI-led coalition Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken several initiatives to improve health conditions and facilities in the province. He also assured that PTI political workers will be involved in monitoring of polio cases from union council level to district level throughout the province.

Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Member National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination said that whether polio cases found in Sindh or in any other province, it is recognized as a case in Pakistan. He assured that the National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Committee will cooperate with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in any case.

Briefing the MPAs and MNAs at the Session on State of Polio in Pakistan, Mr. Mazhar Nisar, Coordinator of Prime Minister�s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell said that 198 cases were reported in the year 2011, 58 cases of polio were detected in 2012 and in 2013 31 cases so far have been reported all over Pakistan. He shared that 22 Polio workers have been attacked and killed since July 2012. He also proposed a way forward to MPAs at the Consultative Session that included re-invigorated oversight, special task teams to coordinate polio activities for Peshawar and Karachi, Negotiation for the resumption of immunization in North and South Waziristan, Transit point immunization strategy for reaching mobile and migrant populations. He also asked for assistance of public representatives to ensure accountability through political influence and nominate focal person for High Risk Union Councils in their respective constituencies. He also urged that the energy of young political workers at the UC level be utilized to promote polio vaccination.

Earlier welcoming the National and Provincial Legislators, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT, said that Pakistan is among one of the three polio-endemic countries in the World along with Afghanistan and Nigeria. He highlighted that Polio cases may be on the decline compared to previous years but the disease and its alarming spread poses a huge challenge for Pakistan. It is, therefore, imperative that elected representatives oversee the polio eradication efforts in their constituencies and routinely monitor the progress towards achieving the goal of polio eradication across the province and the country.

Members of National Assembly who participated in the Discussion included Mr. Bismillah Khan, MNA (NA-43, Tribal Areas VIII, FATA, IND), Dr. Nisar Ahmed Jat, MNA (NA-81, Faisalabad-VII, PML-N), Dr. Ramesh Kumar, MNA (NA-239, Karachi, PML-N), Ms. Aisha (NA-329, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, JI) and Dr. Mahreen Razaque Bhutto, MNA (NA-319, Sindh, PPPP).

Members of the Provincial Assemblies from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan included Mr. Shaukat Ali Yousufzai, MPA (PK-2 Peshawar-II, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI), Mr. Imtiaz Qureshi, MPA (PK-39 Kohat-III, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI), Ms. Meiraj Hamayun Khan, MPA (WR-19, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, QWP-S), Dr. Wasim Akhter, MPA (PP-271, Bahawalpur-V, Punjab, JI), Mr. Arif Abbasi, MPA (PP-13, Rawalpindi-XIII, Punjab, PTI), Ms. Azma Bokhari, MPA (W-318, Punjab, PML-N), Dr. Murad Raas, MPA, (PP-152, Lahore-XVI, PTI), Mr. Sikander Ali Shoro, MPA, (PS-71 Jamshoro-I Old Dadu-I, Sindh, PPPP), Mr. Mazahir Ameer, MPA (PS-96 Karachi-VIII, Sindh, MQM), Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan, MPA (PS-99 Karachi-XI, Sindh, MQM), Mr. Khurram Sher Zaman, MPA (PS-112, Karachi-XXIV, Sindh, PTI), Mr. Moin Amir Pirzada, MPA (PS-125 Karachi-XXXVII, Sindh, MQM), Dr. Sumeta Syed, MPA (RSW-147, Karachi, Sindh, MQM), Ms. Naheed Begum, MPA (RSW-152, Karachi, Sindh, MQM), Dr. Seema Zia, MPA, (RSW-159, Sindh, PTI), Mr. Nasrullah Khan Zaire, MPA (PB-5, Quetta-V, Balochistan,PKMAP), Dr. Hameed Khan Achakzai, MPA, (PB-11-Killa Abdullah-I, Balochistan, PKMAP), Mr. Rehmat Baloch, MPA (PB-42-Panjgoor-I, Balochistan, NP) and Ms. Raheela Durrani, MPA (PBW-54, Balochistan, PML-N).