ELITE SCHOOL REFUSES POLIO VACCINATION OF 1000 CHILDREN.

ISLAMABAD,15th October - A leading and modern school based in Islamabad refused to give access to the polio team and endangered the lives of more than 1,000 school children. This complaint was launched to the Polio Control Cell, which is an initiative taken by SAMAA TV to cater any complaints regarding unavailability of the polio teams or requirement of information to the disease and other vaccinations. As a result, the polio control officers will be meeting with these schools to emphasize the danger in not including children in the campaign and highlight that it is in the national interest that all support the initiative to eradicate polio from Pakistan.

The National Polio Campaign was observed from 13th to 15th October, where more than 75,000 polio teams visited door-to-door to administer polio drops to around 33 million children nationwide.

SAMAA TV in joint collaboration with UNICEF and other partners carried out a landmark initiative by being the first media channel in Pakistan to establish a polio control cell aimed at acting as information bridge between the people and the polio control authorities. The cell, first of its kind provided instant information on the initiative to callers in the length and breadth of the country besides performing the vital task of identifying missed areas and children.

All of the 75.000 Polio Vaccination teams across the country had been issued special directives by UNICEF, WHO and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), all leading partners of SAMAA TV in this initiative, to accept phone calls and instructions from SAMAA’s Polio Control Cell to bridge the gaps and respond to the queries and complaints of parents. All the collected information was also shared by the cell with EDO’s of health in the concerned districts evoking instantaneous response from them and achieving full presence of the polio team.

SAMAA TV also carried out a three-day coverage on the campaign reinforcing the importance of the campaign and encouraging parents to call the cell in case of any complaints, requirement of information related to vaccinations or lack of teams visiting their area.

Speaking to Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of SAMAA TV, Mr Jahangir said that “given the popularity, coverage and effectiveness of SAMAA NEWS, our support in creating awareness about the drive has made a significant difference. On just the first day, we received 812 telephone calls from parents asking about when the teams would reach their areas, so the ownership of this campaign has surely reached the audience”.

The SAMAA Polio Control Cell received more than 2,000 telephone calls nationwide from parents sharing about the unavailability of the polio teams. Due to the immediate response and great coordination between the Polio Control Cell and the polio field teams, the gaps were addressed and appreciated by the calling parents.

According to WHO, there are 1,346 registered polio cases worldwide, out of which Nigeria carries the maximum cases of 746. Pakistan has 77 registered polio cases, which is an increase of more than 55 cases since 2007. Mr. Jahangir said the increasing number of polio is an alarm for our nation and should be addressed on immediate basis. He further added that SAMAA TV is a responsible Social Corporate and committed to creating value for the community and the audience it caters for. He assured that SAMAA TV would continue to play an active role in bringing a positive change in the social, political and economic scenario in Pakistan.

SAMAA TV is a private satellite news channel presenting up-to-the minute news bulletins, incisive political analysis, programmes for women, youth and children besides entertainment shows including sports, film and music. The channel is launched under the banner of JAAG Broadcasting Systems (Pvt) Ltd.