ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services requested the World Health Organisation on Friday to give the government one month’s grace period, instead of 15 days sought earlier, to implement WHO recommendations for stopping transfer of wild poliovirus across the borders.
NHS Minister Saira Afzal Tarar said the recommendations could not be implemented in 15 days because of some legal technicalities.
The virus has been affecting 10 countries but has been transferred across borders from Pakistan, Cameroon and Syria.
The WHO made it mandatory for the three countries to give at least one dose of polio vaccine for urgent travel and issue certificates to travellers.
Ms Tarar had announced at a press conference on Wednesday after meeting WHO officials that the organisation had been requested to give at least two-week time for preparations before implementing the recommendations regarding the travel restrictions.
The WHO management agreed to give 15 days’ grace period and announced full support for the ministry and the government.
But on Friday, the ministry sent a letter to the WHO seeking an increase in the grace period.
The letter sent by NHS Secretary Rashida Malik to the director of the Cairo-based WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Dr Ala Alwan, says that although the recommendations have not been received formally through diplomatic channels, the government is taking necessary steps and convened an emergency meeting which decided that Pakistan, as a responsible member of the United Nations, would implement the recommendations of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee.
“ However, I would like to convey the concern of the inter-provincial meeting that while making the recommendations, Pakistan’s epic efforts against the disease and changing complexion and diverse nature of challenges from public health to perception, security and geo-political issues the country faces were not taken into account,” the letter said.
“Nowhere in the global eradication programme 69 polio team members, including police officials guarding them, were target killed with 39 injured seriously,” it said.
The WHO was informed that the provincial governments were taking steps to put the necessary implementation mechanism in place, but a grace period of one month was required.
Ms Tarar told this reporter that all provinces were preparing their own certificates.
“Over three million certificates have to be printed for people travelling from Pakistan to other countries. So many certificates cannot be printed without a tender and it takes a minimum 15 days to complete the process of tender according to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules,” she said.
“Moreover, vaccine is being arranged for the passengers and it has been confirmed that it is available in the international market. We will get the vaccine through partners or in case of emergency the provinces can also purchase vaccines as they had done for measles last year,” she said.
“An action plan has been sent to the WHO. In fact, it is the media which has created panic in the country. So far not a single Pakistani passenger has been deported from any international airport. Vaccination counters have been opened at all airports except in Balochistan because of unavailability of a partner,” the minister said.
However, an official of the ministry said the prime minister had the power to relax the PPRA rules in special circumstances.