Karachi, July 16 (IANS). Every now and then we get an example of how critical the condition of the health department of Pakistan is. At present, the increasing number of zero-dose children has exposed the health system. None other than Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has issued a red alert regarding this. The association warned that Pakistan stands at the cusp of a serious pandemic-related crisis.
PMA has issued an urgent national red alert in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region over the presence of a large number of “zero-dose” children in Pakistan.
Zero-dose children are children who have not received even the first dose of the vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP1).
With 6.51 lakh infants completely left out of the routine vaccination regimen, the representative body of the medical community has warned that Pakistan is on the cusp of a serious epidemiological crisis that could lead to a massive resurgence of preventable diseases and deaths among children.
The PMA formally declared it a ‘national public health emergency’, saying that such a large reduction in vaccination has reached the limits of maintaining herd immunity, increasing the risk of uncontrolled infection across the region.
“From a medical and public health perspective, the presence of more than 5 lakh zero-dose children reflects a serious failure of the primary health care system,” PMA general secretary Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoron was quoted as saying by leading daily Dawn.
“Behind these appalling figures lies a deep and systemic problem that has weakened the country’s health infrastructure,” he said.
According to WHO’s latest regional epidemiological data, 90 percent of all zero-dose children in the region are in just five countries, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.
While Sudan, Yemen and Somalia are suffering from active war, extreme violence or complete governance collapse, Pakistan’s inclusion in this list is mainly due to administrative negligence and governance failure.
“For 14 percent of all zero-dose children in the region to be in a non-conflict country is an unacceptable governance failure,” Shoron said.
The PMA has blamed administrative weaknesses and structural corruption for the crisis.
According to the association, these include nepotism in administrative appointments, weak administration of the Expanded Immunization Program (EPI), lack of secure networks to reach remote areas and failure to allay people’s apprehensions about the vaccine.
“The existence of 6.51 lakh zero-dose children is a direct result of decades of corrupt practices, administrative neglect and lack of political will of successive governments, which did not prioritize the health of the country,” the PMA said.
The association has also sought to modernize the vaccine supply chain, prevent irregularities in temperature control, improve pending payments and provide better wages, higher level training and security arrangements to health workers.
–IANS
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