Polio Eradication
What Pakistan can learn
from India
Since my birth I am
taught love for my country and hate for India. I grew up with mixed feelings of
love and hate. Feelings of love kept growing while hatred diminished with age
and maturity. Logic
has always guided my thoughts. I always move forward logically. Logic has always been the beacon of my thoughts. When it comes to defense we try to surpass India with all our energies. When India procured latest combat aircraft from Russia we got F-16s from United States. In 1998 when India conducted 5 nuclear tests we responded with 6. In cross-border firing incidents we have always responded fiercely. We taught good lesson to India in 1965 war but did not learn from our follies committed in 1971 debacle. Pakistan is always proud to prove its superiority over India, but our pride was seriously dented on 24 July 2014 when WHO declared India a polio free country. So many Pakistanis like me kept on waiting that Nawaz Sharif may give reply to India by keeping our children safe from Polio like atomic blasts.
has always guided my thoughts. I always move forward logically. Logic has always been the beacon of my thoughts. When it comes to defense we try to surpass India with all our energies. When India procured latest combat aircraft from Russia we got F-16s from United States. In 1998 when India conducted 5 nuclear tests we responded with 6. In cross-border firing incidents we have always responded fiercely. We taught good lesson to India in 1965 war but did not learn from our follies committed in 1971 debacle. Pakistan is always proud to prove its superiority over India, but our pride was seriously dented on 24 July 2014 when WHO declared India a polio free country. So many Pakistanis like me kept on waiting that Nawaz Sharif may give reply to India by keeping our children safe from Polio like atomic blasts.
Pakistan’s resolve to outwit India in every field seems very
fragile when it comes to eradicating polio.
We were quick to respond nuclear tests but failed in the health sector.
I am anxiously
waiting for the day when Prime Minister comes on state media and
proudly announce eradication of polio from Pakistan. Entire world thanked India for its success
against polio while looking with suspicions towards Pakistan. Several government officials including Prime
Minister’s polio Cell former focal person Shehnaz Wazir Ali visited India to
review the efforts made to eradicate polio. Pakistani delegation met with the
Rotary and WHO officials. India showing magnanimity handed over the blue prints
of Polio Elimination Strategy. During this time government changed, Aysha Raza
Farooq replaced Shehnaz Wazir Ali but polio could not be eradicated. Our enmity with India is like a pole star yet
morality demands any good done by the enemy must be acknowledged.
India receiving Polio Free Certificate |
I anxiously wanted to know the magic India used to eradicate
polio. My wish was granted when Mr Fahd Husain selected me for a scholarship
funded by a U.S. organization East West
Center. In September when I
arrived in Dheli and my keenness to meet Indian officials working for polio drive started
growing impatiently. Ms Shalini the Communication Officer of Public Health
Foundation India played a vital role to ensure my meeting with people at the
helm of affairs. My first meeting was with Mr Deepak Kapur, chairman Rotary
India. Mr Deepak was astonished to learn that Pakistanis were ignorant to the
efforts made by Rotary for eradication of polio. In Pakistan people think
Rotary belongs to the privileged class only.
I was surprised to learn that Rotary was contributing double the funds
than International Gats Foundation. Mr. Deepak Kapur explained how the
conscience of bureaucracy was shaken and efforts made to convince bureaucrats
that polio was a deadly disease.
Outside Lal Qila in Delhi |
Their efforts forced
Indian government to release funds and spare all resources for polio campaign.
Religious clerics also requested to play their role to convince masses against
polio and urge them to take Polio vaccine. Dr. Suneel Bahl briefed about role
and efforts made by WHO in chalking out strategies and campaigns of immunizations
and strict monitoring. They also spent force to identifying missing children in
different areas of gypsies and construction sides. By adopting this approach
vaccinators successfully covered missing child and so India thrown this disease
out of their country.
With Dr Suneel Bahl and WHO staff in Delhi |
On my return from India I met Rotary Pakistan Polio Plus’s
chairman Mr Aziz Memon. The honorable chairman told me that there was no dearth
of funds in Pakistan for Polio. He explained the reasons of Pakistan’s failure
against polio; the reason is very simple-government’s priorities. Pakistani government needs to turn
polio
campaign into a movement. Should
bureaucracy admit polio as a deadly disease nothing can stop Pakistan to eradicate
polio. WHO India’s focal person Dr Sunil
Bhal also emphasized that polio campaign needs to be taken seriously and run
like a movement. Administers of polio campaign and the recipients of polio drops
will have to take this movement seriously. In India various incentives were
tried to convince people for polio drops. Gifts for children like Balloons,
chocolates and sweets were used as positive reinforcement. In 1988 more than
150,000 children were affected by polio in India. Yet India managed to eradicate
polio. Dr Bhal says, “Health and sanitation conditions are far better in
Pakistan than India, yet I fail to understand why Pakistan cannot deal with
polio”. Polio situation in 2014 was
drastically alarming for Pakistan. 300 polio-affected
children were reported.
Pakistan had to face travel sanctions as well. In 2015 there was a sigh of
relief. Polio cases are dropped by 70%. So far in 10 months only 40 cases have
been reported.
With Chairman Rotary Pakistan Aziz Memon |
Ayesha Raza Farooq, Chairperson Polio Cell |
Independent Monitoring Board for Polio acknowledges in its
fresh report that Pakistan made considerable improvement.IMB declared the Peshawar valley and the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) as a ‘conveyer belt’ of polio transmission and
noted that this was possibly the last reservoir of wild poliovirus left in the world.
It is a daunting task
but surely not impossible in any context. Government officials attend
international conferences on polio, make tall claims but fail to deliver the
goods. Prime Minister’s polio Cell will have to take the bull of polio by its horns to eradicate the deadly disease from the country and make Pakistan stand proudly beside the polio free nations. Folks look! India is Polio free and we are not……….