The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication has raised daily wages for frontline polio workers by 28 percent as authorities prepare to roll out the country’s next immunization drive later this month.
NEOC for Polio Eradication announced the increase, which will take effect from the upcoming anti-polio campaign. The move is aimed at bolstering support for the workers who administer vaccines door-to-door across the country, often in difficult and sometimes hazardous conditions.
Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, described the pay raise as recognition of the dedication and hard work of frontline staff, who she said remain central to Pakistan’s push to eliminate the disease. She said their continued commitment has kept the eradication programme moving forward despite persistent operational challenges.
According to Farooq, the next sub-national immunization campaign is scheduled to run from September 21 to 27, covering 115 districts across the country. More than 31 million children under the age of five are expected to receive polio vaccine drops during the week-long drive.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. The government has continued to expand vaccination coverage and worker incentives in recent years as part of a broader strategy to interrupt transmission of the virus.
