Four more counters set up to issue polio certificates in capital

ISLAMABAD: Four more polio certification counters will be functional in the federal capital from Saturday (today) while 11 counters set up in the Rawalpindi division have already issued 1,000 certificates. Keeping in view the rush of people intending to travel abroad, the number of counters in Islamabad has been increased from one to five. As many as 600 persons were visiting the only counter at Children’s Hospital of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) daily, making it difficult for the hospital administration to issue them the certificates on time. On May 5, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it mandatory for Pakistanis travelling out of the country to have at least one dose of polio vaccine. Moreover, the government was suggested to issue certificates to the travellers. “Counters have been established at Pims, Polyclinic, Mother and Child Health (MCH) Centre, Sector G-6, and the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM),” said an official of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD). “Besides the Children’s Hospital, another counter has been set up at the courtesy centre of Pims which is used for the treatment of VIPs,” he said. Joint Secretary CADD Rafique Tahir while talking to Dawn said because of the problems being faced by the citizens and to ensure immediate issuance of the cards, it had been decided to establish the certification counters in most of the hospitals. “The counters will start functioning from Saturday and will remain open from 8am to 4pm. After the vaccination, the residents can get the certificate within 15 minutes free of cost,” he said. Bilal Ahmed, a citizen, said on Friday he went to Pims to get the polio certificate at 11:30am but because of the rush he returned home without getting the certificate. “I will visit the hospital again on Saturday morning because it would take more than an hour to get the certificate,” he said. Vice Chancellor Pims Dr Javed Akram told Dawn that 600 citizens were visiting the hospital daily to get the vaccination cards. “Because of the burden, I deputed additional staff in the Children’s Hospital but the residents were getting annoyed because of the delay in the issuance of the certificates,” he said. Dr Akram said he requested CADD to instruct other hospitals to issue certificates because residents of the federal capital and a large number of people from other cities were coming to Islamabad to get the certificate. Two separate directors have been appointed at Pims to reduce the load of people who come for the vaccination certificates. After counters are established in other hospitals the problem will be resolved,” he said. In the Rawalpindi division, a total of 1,000 people intending to travel abroad have applied for the anti-polio vaccination certificates. Though the certificate will be applicable for people travelling aboard from June 1, the 11 anti-polio vaccination counters have already seen rush of visitors. “The Punjab government established 11 counters to administer anti-polio vaccination and issue certificates in the districts of Rawalpindi Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock,” said Director Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal while talking to Dawn.The counters have been set up at the Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, the executive district officer (EDO) office at Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. Six counters have been established at the EDO offices and the DHQ hospitals in Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock.“The Punjab government has provided us with a copy of the certificate and we have started administering anti-polio vaccination to the intending travellers and issuing them certificates free of cost,” said Dr Gondal. He said more than 1,000 certificates had been issued so far. The health department deputed three vaccinators at each counter to avoid rush. “We require the copy of computerised national identity card and passport of the visitor for issuance of the certificate.” He said the district health department had also made arrangements for the three-day anti-polio vaccination campaign in the 27 high risk union councils of Rawalpindi district from May 19. The official said mobile teams and transit counters had been established to administer anti-polio vaccination to all the children coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 200,000 children will be administered anti-polio vaccination in the high risk areas where mostly people coming from tribal areas and KP lives. Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2014