Punjab steps up training, transit coverage ahead of polio immunisation drive

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Apr, 2026) Preparations for the upcoming National Immunisation Drive(NID), set to begin on April 13, are underway across Punjab, with authorities focusing on training and strategic deployment to ensure maximum coverage.

According to a handout issued here on Wednesday, an extensive cascade of training sessions is being conducted to equip frontline health workers and supervisors with skills for effective campaign implementation. A total of 20,581 Union Council Medical Officers (UCMOs) and Area In-Charges (AICs) have been trained in microplanning, supportive supervision and campaign execution, aimed at improving field operations and strengthening monitoring and accountability.

Officials said training of frontline workers (FLWs), who form the backbone of the anti-polio effort, was also progressing. Of 180,236 FLWs, 118,231 have been trained so far, with the remainder undergoing sessions ahead of the campaign. In addition, 50,133 workers have completed online assessments as part of efforts by the Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) to standardise training evaluation.

Team training across districts is continuing and is expected to conclude by Thursday evening, ensuring vaccination teams are fully prepared before the campaign begins.

To complement house-to-house vaccination, authorities have strengthened transit strategies to reach children on the move. Permanent and special transit points have been established at key interprovincial borders, check posts, airports and sites of religious gatherings.

Deployments include Attock Khurd, Dajil Check Post in Bhakkar, and Bawata and Trimmim check posts in Dera Ghazi Khan, among others. Vaccination teams have also been stationed at major travel hubs, including Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and Islamabad International Airport in Rawalpindi, to immunise travelling children.

Special arrangements have been made for high-attendance religious events, particularly the Urs of Sufi saint Hazrat Sakhi Sarwar. Transit teams have been deployed at key shrines in Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan, including those of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya, Shah Rukn-e-Alam and Hazrat Shah Shams Tabrez (RA), where temporary vaccination facilities will remain operational for one month.

Officials said the combined focus on training and field deployment was aimed at ensuring a high-quality campaign to protect every child and sustain progress towards polio eradication.