[ad_1]
KHAR: On Monday, Levies and Khasadar staff in several tribal districts boycotted their duties during the polio campaign.
They vowed to continue the boycott until their claims were accepted. Levies and Khasadar staff in the amalgamated districts anonymously announced that they were boycotting security functions during the polio campaign. The decision was made at a meeting of the main committee of both forces in all the merged districts. The Khasadar and Levies staff presented the government with a 22-point charter of demands.
The boycott forced the health department to postpone the planned three-day polio campaign in several areas of the Bajaur Tribal District.
Sources said that senior officials of the local administration and the health department had not taken the boycott decision seriously by the staff of both forces and had described pressure tactics as the main reason for the boycott. acceptance of their requests.
Authorities start vaccinating Afghans of all ages in Torkham
However, they said senior officials held a meeting with representatives of both forces Sunday night, but did not persuade them to guarantee the safety of vaccinator teams.
The health department and the World Health Organization have expressed concerns about postponing the polio campaign in several localities in the district.
In the tribal district of Mohmand, Levies and Khasadar forces boycotted the polio duty to pressure the government to accept their demands.
In parts of Safi Tehsil, security forces have been providing security for polio teams. The campaign has been postponed to the next seven days.
Levies and Khasadar members also organized a protest in Ekkaghund in support of their demands and rejected the extension of the police system to tribal districts.
In Orakzai, Levies and Khasadar forces also boycotted the right to polio. They threatened to continue the boycott until their claims were accepted.
In Khyber, authorities began vaccinating Afghans of all ages on the Torkham border as part of the global polio eradication initiative and the country's emergency action plan to end the eradication of polio. transmission of poliovirus through its territory.
At a ceremony held at the Torkham border, health teams from both countries vaccinated travelers of all ages and bades against polio for the sole purpose of interrupting the polio virus circulating in the regions concerned. sides of the border.
They said that poliovirus mainly infected children under five, but adults could also carry the virus. "Immunization of all ages is a step forward and an effective way to stop the movement of poliovirus across the border," they said.
The nationwide three-day anti-polio campaign was launched on Monday in three Khyber sub-divisions, while Khasadar and Levies boycotted the issue of health team safety.
The administration has deployed border police personnel to ensure the safety of vaccinator teams.
In Lakki Marwat, several children of reluctant parents were immunized against polio on the first day of the three-day campaign launched on Monday.
The deputy commissioner visited rural communities when field staff informed them that parents were not willing to vaccinate their children. He monitored the anti-polio campaign in Tajazai, Ghaznikhel, Jabukhel and other rural areas.
In Lower Dir, the three-day polio campaign began in all parts of the district.
The Deputy Commissioner and District Health Officer opened the campaign by administering the polio vaccine to children under five.
Both officials conducted a detailed field trip to monitor the route.
The Assistant Commissioner urged health workers to redouble their efforts to eradicate poliovirus in the region. He said the campaign would be successful by adopting a reward and punishment policy.
Posted in Dawn, March 26, 2019
Source link
