ISLAMABAD: On the Tuesday, the Planning and Development PND Punjab arranged a meeting with senior health officials. Chaired by Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Prof Ahsan Iqbal, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved five health projects worth Rs 22.7 billion and referred them to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
In health sector, the CDWP referred Sindh Immunization Support Program (SISP) worth Rs 8 billion, delivered the program on immunization Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Balochistan to ECNEC.
Previously, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of 1978 failed to eradicate childhood diseases like tuberculosis, polio, tetanus and measles till its target of 2015.
All the three immunization projects, Sindh, KPK and Balochistan aim to prevent children from nine diseases including childhood tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis-B, haemophilus influenza, measles and pneumonia.
According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Polio,, influenza and Viral Hepatitis are the leading diseases in Pakistan. Polio, which has long been eradicated as of the 70’s in most of the developed world including the United States, continues to thrive in Pakistan due to new, emerging strains of the virus resistant to existing vaccines.
Additionally, the meeting approved establishment of unit for shredding, sterilization and disposal of medical waste of Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) Islamabad for improved environmental conditions in the region.
