Peshawar, Dec 23 (PTI) Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has decided that it will no longer issue birth, death, or marriage certificates to families who refused polio vaccination, officials said on Monday.
The move is part of an intensified effort to bolster the province’s ongoing polio eradication campaign. Under the new directive, individuals must ensure their children receive the polio vaccine to access these essential documents, the officials said.
The directive is particularly focused on areas in and around Peshawar and nearby village councils, aiming to improve immunisation rates in regions where resistance to vaccination remains a challenge.
A recent notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar, directed to the District Health Officer and Medical Officer, warns that non-compliance of the order would lead to disciplinary action.
"This decision will ensure that every child is immunised. We are taking all necessary steps to safeguard the future generations from polio," a health department spokesperson said.
Polio eradication has been a persistent challenge in Pakistan, one of the few countries where the virus remains endemic. The provincial government hopes that linking vaccinations to vital documentation will incentivise families to comply with immunisation efforts.
According to officials, the policy is being closely watched by local and international health organisations as a potential model for accelerating the fight against polio in other regions.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation. Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence. Many workers have been killed and injured by attackers who believe that anti-polio vaccine campaigns are un-Islamic.
Pakistan has so far reported 64 cases of the crippling disease this year.