UMERKOT (District Reporter Ahmed Khan): An important meeting of the District Polio Eradication Committee was held at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Umerkot to review preparations and arrangements for the September 2026 Special Polio Campaign (SNID). The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Umerkot Naveed-ur-Rehman Lark.
The meeting was attended by Chairman District Council Umerkot Haji Muhammad Baka Pali, Assistant Commissioner Umerkot Rajab Ali Sathio, Assistant Commissioner Kunri Muhammad Khan, Assistant Commissioner Samaro Sanjay Kumar Turkio, Assistant Commissioner Pithoro Ghulam Ali Tariq, DSP Legal Umerkot Adnan Memon, District Health Officer Dr. Muhammad Ali, District Polio Focal Person Dr. Vijay Kumar, and health department officials including Dr. Fareed Ahmed, Dr. Lakshman Das, Dr. Sher Mehr and Dr. Imran Akhund.
Other participants included Deputy Director Social Welfare Umerkot Noor Muhammad Sheikh, District Information Officer Umerkot Muhammad Aslam Bhatti, SDO HESCO Zulfiqar, District Education Officer Umerkot Mir Hassan Arisar, DO Primary Inayatullah Kumbhar, Chief Municipal Officer Umerkot Harish Chander Khatri, elected representatives of local government institutions, WHO Focal Person Dr. Durga Shankar, representatives of PPHI, relevant district departments, social organizations and other stakeholders.
At the beginning of the meeting, the District Polio Focal Person gave a detailed briefing on the proposed September 2026 SNID campaign. Participants were informed that the campaign would be conducted from September 21 to September 24, 2026, during which polio vaccination drops would be administered to 298,090 children under the age of five across Umerkot district.
The briefing covered the proposed micro-plan for the campaign, the target number of children, composition and training of polio teams, assigned routes, fixed and transit vaccination points, vaccine availability, cold-chain arrangements, security measures and the monitoring mechanism.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Naveed-ur-Rehman Lark said that the complete eradication of polio from Umerkot required all relevant institutions to perform their responsibilities through a coordinated, integrated and effective strategy.
He directed the concerned authorities to ensure that no child under the age of five was left without receiving polio drops during the campaign. For this purpose, he ordered effective arrangements not only for door-to-door vaccination teams but also at fixed points, transit locations and other important public places.
The Deputy Commissioner instructed health department officials to ensure the timely training of all polio teams, availability of essential equipment and uninterrupted supply of vaccines. He also called for daily monitoring of teams and regular assessment of their performance throughout the campaign.
He stressed that children who were missed during the campaign should be identified immediately and vaccinated without delay. He particularly emphasized the need to ensure that no child remained a zero-dose or missed child.
Deputy Commissioner Lark also directed the District Education Officer Umerkot to ensure that all Taluka Education Officers (TEOs) conducted field visits during the campaign. He further instructed education authorities to ensure students’ attendance in schools so that no eligible child missed the opportunity to receive the polio vaccine.
Chairman District Council Umerkot Haji Muhammad Baka Pali assured the meeting that the district council would extend full cooperation to the district administration and health department for the successful implementation of the anti-polio campaign.
He said elected representatives at the Union Council and local levels would also be mobilized to support the campaign and would play their role in creating awareness among parents about the importance of polio vaccination. He emphasized that the involvement of local representatives could help strengthen public cooperation, particularly in communities where awareness regarding vaccination remained a challenge.
DSP Legal Umerkot Adnan Memon briefed the participants about security arrangements for the campaign. He said the police would take all necessary measures to provide foolproof security to polio teams.
He directed the concerned police officers to ensure implementation of an effective security plan for the movement of vaccination teams and for protection in sensitive and high-risk areas. Security arrangements would be closely coordinated with the district administration and health authorities to ensure that teams could perform their duties safely.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of involving religious scholars, teachers, elected local representatives, social workers, media organizations and civil society in the campaign. Participants stressed that parents should be regularly informed about the importance of polio vaccination and encouraged to cooperate with vaccination teams.
The participants unanimously agreed that the complete eradication of polio could not be achieved without active public support. They said that all sections of society should therefore be made part of the national campaign so that every eligible child could be protected against the crippling disease.
Deputy Commissioner Naveed-ur-Rehman Lark directed all relevant officers to conduct another comprehensive review of preparations before the campaign begins. He ordered special attention to sensitive and high-risk areas and called for effective monitoring of the attendance and performance of polio teams.
He further directed the concerned departments to submit daily progress reports to the district administration so that any gaps or shortcomings could be identified and addressed promptly.
About The Author
