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Anti-polio drive in lower Punjab from March 9

Recorder Report

Lahore: Punjab Health Department will carry out immunisation programme for complete eradication of polio in the province from March 9 to 11 in Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions.

This campaign will be inaugurated by Punjab Governor Mohammad Safdar in Rajanpur on March 9.

Similar programme will be started in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Lahore and Gujranwala Division from March 25 to 27.

This was revealed by Punjab Health Secretary, Mohammad Ismail Qureshi, while talking to a delegation of WHO and Unicef, headed by the Regional Director of WHO, Dr Hussain Gezairy, here on Wednesday. Director General Health, Punjab, Dr Khurshid Ahmad Khan, and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.

The Secretary, Health, briefed the delegation that 95 percent results of this campaign had been achieved in the previous anti-polio campaign which was a great success.

WHO Regional Director expressed satisfaction over the achievement of campaign targets, and assured of complete cooperation of WHO, Unicef and other international donor agencies to make Pakistan a polio-free country in 2000.

Ismail said that the provincial government would ensure full utilisation of financial as well as technical assistance provided by WHO and other international organisations. He said that community participation in this national cause would also be assured.

Later, the delegation also visited King Edwards Medical College (KEMC). The Principal of the College, Prof Mumtaz Hussain, apprised the visiting guests about the historical background of the College, method of teaching and introduction of modern medical syllabus.