J&K carries out pulse polio drive, Omar vows to make UT polio-free

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday conducted a pulse polio drive across the Union territory, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urging parents to ensure that every child aged 0-5 years receives polio drops.
Abdullah also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making the UT a polio-free region.
In an X post, the chief minister’s office said, “On the Pulse Polio campaign launched today (Sunday), the chief minister urged parents to take their children to receive the oral polio vaccine at the nearest booth.”
Abdullah also praised the health workers and volunteers for their tireless efforts in “safeguarding the future of our children”.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo kick-started the Pulse Polio Campaign across Jammu and Kashmir from Jammu by inaugurating National Immunization Day (Polio Day) at Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar here.
The campaign was inaugurated by Health Minister while personally administering Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops to toddlers and children, symbolically marking the beginning of campaign across Jammu and Kashmir and symbolizing the commitment of the Government towards safeguarding the health of future generations.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Sakeena emphasized on the critical role of routine immunization and community participation in maintaining J&K’s polio-free status. She urged parents and guardians to actively cooperate with healthcare workers and ensure that every child receives the life-saving polio vaccine during the campaign. “To ensure administration of Polio drops to child under this campaign is very important responsibility for both parents and not just mother”, the Minister stated.
The Minister reiterated the Government’s unwavering resolve to protect child health and to sustain India’s Polio-Free status through sustained vigilance and robust immunization efforts. She emphasized that no child under five years of age should be left unvaccinated, and called for active participation from parents, frontline health workers, community leaders and all stakeholders to ensure universal coverage.
The Minister highlighted that the Health department is working efficiently under this campaign and achieved polio free status for J&K. She lauded the efforts of frontline health workers, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, volunteers, and district health teams for their tireless dedication in reaching every household, including those in far-flung and vulnerable areas.
“Going to far-flung areas and giving these two drops to children there is very challenging, but our frontline staff delivered on that efficiently”, she said.
The Minister further highlighted that the department has established around 11000 booths across J&K, involving almost 42000 healthcare workers and around 20 lakh children will be administered Polio drops during the campaign.
She added that special immunization booths, mobile teams, and house-to-house visits have been put in place across all districts to cover every eligible child, besides robust monitoring mechanisms have also been established to ensure effective implementation of the campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Vikram Randhawa said that National Immunization Day (Polio) Campaign forms a key component of the government’s public health strategy to protect future generations and strengthen disease prevention measures across Jammu and Kashmir. He called upon all the parents, public and responsible citizens to contribute towards this campaign.
The MLA also lauded the continuous efforts of Health Minister, Sakeena Itoo for bringing improvements in healthcare infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir.
In his address, Secretary Health, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed said that this day is very important for maintaining the status of Polio free India, which our country achieved in the year 2014. He called upon the parents and public to actively participate in this campaign. He further said that the department has established around 11,000 booths for the administration of Polio drops to the children across Jammu and Kashmir.
CEO State Health Agency, Ananth Dwivedi; Mission Director ICDS, Sajad Hussain Ganai; Commissioner Food and Drug Administration, Smita Sethi; Director Family Welfare and Immunization, Dr. Poonam Sethi; Director Health Services Jammu, Dr. Abdul Hamid Zargar; doctors, paramedical staff, healthcare professionals and large number of locals and children were also present on the occasion.
Pertinently, the Pulse Polio Campaign 2025 across Jammu & Kashmir is being conducted on a massive scale, with 10,893 vaccination booths established across the Union Territory. A total of 42,564 health workers and volunteers have been deployed to ensure smooth implementation of the programme. To cover children on the move, 256 transit vaccination points and 520 mobile teams have been established. Through these extensive arrangements, the campaign aims to administer Oral Polio Vaccine to approximately 20 lakh children under five years of age across J&K, ensuring that no child is missed and the Polio-Free status of the region is sustained.