LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday inaugurated the 15-day typhoid vaccination drive at a local hotel.

During the first phase starting from Feb 1, children from nine months to 15 years will be vaccinated in 12 districts. The second phase will begin in May to vaccinate 19.3 million children in urban areas of 24 other districts.

Addressing the ceremony, the CM thanked the stakeholders for their cooperation and hoped that the typhoid vaccine would protect the children from the fatal disease.

Buzdar said the construction of seven new mother & child hospitals had been started in Lahore, Layyah, Rajanpur, Sialkot, Bahawalnagar, Attock and Mianwali.

New medical colleges and universities would also be established phase-wise, while the University of Child Health was being established at Children`s Hospital in Lahore, he said.

Similarly, the CM said Rs8 billion were being spent on upgrade of hospitals in Attock, Chiniot, DG Khan, Mianwali, Jhang, Kasur, Lodhran and Rajanpur through the prime minister`s health initiative.

The CM announced making typhoid conjugate vaccination a part of the schedule of the immunisation programme.

`The drive is a noble cause to be performed with due diligence by the staff,` he added and vowed to free Punjab of all diseases.

The World Health Organization and the Unicef representatives also spoke on the occasion.