LAHORE: The Punjab Expanded Programme on Immunization staff has wasted 24 per cent of the expensive Inactivated/Inject-able polio vaccine (IPV) which was introduced recently in the routine immunisation campaign all over the province.

Mishandling and misuse of the vaccine by the programme field staff had been identified in an evaluation of the immunisation programme by Gavi, a global health partner and donor, and was conducted by international experts.

Since the Punjab government could not `afford` the vaccine dueto its high cost, Gavi had been providing it absolutely free for the children in the province who needed some 300,000 doses every month.

Gavi is an international organisation a global vaccine alliance, which has been bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world`s poorest countries.

Interestingly, the IPV was introduced in Punjab for the `high-risk` population only but the field staff had been administering it to all under-five children.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, only four and a half months old children fall in the `high-risk` category in need of IPV, an official privy to the information told Dawn.

Holding the health executive district officers (EDOs) responsible forthe negligence, he said the lapse during the last six months had irked Gavi.

The issue surfaced when Gavi raised serious concern over wastage of 24 percent IPV vaccine by the EPI staff in Punjab and the lack of interest among the health EDOs to address the issue.

By providing a very costly vaccine (IPV) to Punjab absolutely free of cost, Gavi was setting a rare precedent of human service, the official said, adding, `Look what we are making of such a kind gesture.

Under an agreement, he said, Gavi would provide free IPV to Punjab for two years to help eradicate the crippling disease from the country.

He said a developing country like Pakistan could not even imagine procuring such a costly vaccine from international market.

Presently, he said, the target population (under-five children) whichrequired anti polio vaccine in Punjab had reached to 3.3 million.

The government had hired 37,000 vaccinators to reach out to these children all over the province through routine immunization programme.

He said as one dose of IPV costs Rs500 in the international market, Gavi`s initiative was saving Rs150 million for the national exchequer per month.

On the other hand, a single dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) costs Rs17 only.

`The health secretary has taken serious notice of this negligence, andinitially setatargettobringthe wastage percentage down in the first phase from 24pc to 10pc immediately`, Punjab EPI programme director Munir Ahmad said.

He regretted that neither the vaccinators nor the EDOs had been following the WHO criteria. This attitude prompted Gavi and other global organisations to get the matter investigated.

`In the last meeting of the EDOs(health)heldinLahore, we had also discussed various options to address the concerns of Gavi and its health parners`, Dr Munir said, adding that after inquiry the health department had issued a warning to the EDOs of Sialkot and Chakwal where the vaccine wastage percentage was reported even more than 24pc.