KHAR: Arrangements have been finalised to provide security to the health workers taking part in the three-day anti-polio drive that will start in Bajaur Agency on Monday.

Briefing journalists about the drive here on Sunday, Agency Surgeon Dr Zakir Hussain said that 225,286 children under five years of age would be administered anti-polio vaccine in the tribal region. He said that about 1,600 health workers including volunteers, officials and supporting staff would take a part in the drive.

Dr Zakir said that health department in collaboration with political administration finalised arrangements for the drive. He said that administration and security forces made foolproof arrangements for protection ofhealth teams taking part in the drive.

The official said that Levies personnel, officials of Bajaur Scouts and volunteers of village defence committees would accompany every team to thwart any untoward incident.

Dr Zakir said that security situation was favourable for the anti-polio drive and there was no threat to the vaccinators across the agency. `We are satisfied with the prevailing security situation as well as arrangements made for the safety of health workers. We are sure that the drive will be carried out successfully,` he added.

The official said that there was no no-goarea for the vaccinators in the tribal region.

He said that refusal cases against oral pollovaccine had also been reduced across the agency particularly in far-flung areas during the last several campaigns.

To a question, Dr Zakir said that health department in collaboration with World Health Organisation had taken extraordinary measures to make the drive a success. Several supervisors and monitors were also appointed for the purpose, he added.

To another query, he said that anti-polio drives in tribal areas had been running under the UAE`s Pakistan Assistance Programme since June 2014 while the current drive could be the last as it was decided to stop funding the drives.

Dr Zakir said that according to a decisionmade by the local administration, women workers would not take part in the three-day drive because of security reasons.

Meanwhile, contractual vaccinators have complaint that they have not been paid salaries for the last several months.

Talking to Dawn, they said that about 16 vaccinators performing duty in different localities had been deprived of their salaries for the last four months. They said that they contacted the local health department and relevant officials of WHO to get their salaries but for no avail. They asked the local health department and WHO officials to release their salaries otherwise they would boycott the anti-pollo drive.-Correspondent