rki.news
Altaf Hamid Rao
MIRPUR (AJK), Oct 27: Azad Jammu and Kashmir has secured first position nationwide in a third-party assessment of the Routine Immunisation (RI) Programme, while Mirpur district has been ranked among the country’s three best-performing districts, marking a significant achievement in public healthcare.
The achievement reflects the effective planning, professional expertise, administrative oversight and sustained efforts of the AJK Public Health Department to improve immunisation coverage and protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
A ceremony was held in the State metropolis Tuesday to recognise the achievement, where Secretary Public Health, Government of AJK, presented shields to district health officers and their teams.
Provincial EPI Programme Manager Dr Sardar Manzoor Hussain, World Health Organisation representative Dr Bushra Shams and other officials attended the event.
The Secretary Public Health congratulated the teams and praised Mirpur’s performance, attributing its progress to the effective leadership of District Health Officer Dr Fida Hussain Raja, strong administrative management and coordinated teamwork. He said AJK’s national ranking reflected the department’s commitment to strengthening routine immunisation and protecting children’s health.
Dr Fida Hussain Raja commended the district’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) team, health management, vaccination staff, frontline lady health workers and other personnel, saying the achievement was the result of collective efforts, professional dedication and mutual cooperation. He reaffirmed the commitment to further improving vaccination coverage and achieving the prescribed targets.
He urged parents to ensure that their children completed the full course of vaccination according to the prescribed schedule and cooperate with immunisation teams. He said vaccination protects children against 13 dangerous and potentially life-threatening diseases, stressing that coordinated efforts by the government, health workers and parents were essential to ensure that no child remained unvaccinated.
