Medics heed call of duty on Eid

Express Tribune

03-04-2025

Thousands of polio workers, including lady health workers and vaccinators, celebrated Eidul Fitr while vaccinating children at bus terminals, railway stations and hospitals.
The polio teams administered vaccine to thousands of children during the Eid holidays.
The government hospitals also continued treatment of patients during the holidays and a large number of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff members also celebrated the Eid while performing their duty.
As ten citizens celebrated the Eid with families, thousands of polio workers, following the instructions of the Punjab government and Emergency Operation Centre, performed duties of vaccination at bus and railway stations, transport terminals and hospitals where counters had been set up to vaccinate the children.
The Punjab Emergency Operation Centre had decided before the holidays to administer polio vaccine on the Eid days. The entry and exit points of cities, especially bus and railway stations, as well as hospitals had been identified to care to the maximum number of children.
The Eid holidays of polio team members had been cancelled after the detection of poliovirus in environmental samples from various parts of Punjab, following which 12 districts of the province, including Lahore, had been declared sensitive in this regard.
Following the instructions of the Punjab Emergency Operation Centre, polio teams remained deployed to administer the vaccine to the children during the holidays.
A polio worker, Sadia Rahman, said, "It is a part of our training that the health and life of the public is more important than celebrations. Like me, every polio worker is celebrating Eid on the roads. All departments and more than 50,000 lady health workers in Punjab are concerned after the detection of polio virus and we believe that at the moment polio vaccination is more important."
She said the workers were missing their children and families while fulfilling their duties but their focus was on eradication of polio from the country.
"It is our misfortune we still are in the list of the countries where polio prevails," she added.
An LHW, Asma Shahzad, said, "Eid duties are not easy as we sacrifice our happiness and our kids are missing us at home but we are rendering services for the country's healthy future."
She added, this polio campaign was very important in view of the prevailing situation and "we are happy that we are doing maximum vaccination".
Beside the polio workers, a large number of nurses, doctors and para medical staff members also remained in hospitals during the holidays and celebrated the Eid while performing duties in the emergency and other wards.
The emergency services remained on alert during the holidays, while the polio counters also remained open. The hospital administrations were also active to monitor the treatment facilities the holidays.
The hospital administrations also arranged breakfast and lunch for patients and medical teams with the help of philanthropists.
"Following the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, free treatment facilities for the patients continued during the holidays.
The health professionals celebrated Eid with patients, which is appreciable. I congratulate all health professionals on celebrating the Eid day with patients," said Dr Alfareed Zafar, Principal of the Postgraduate Medical institute.