PESHAWAR: Participants at a provincial coordination meeting of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on integrating `Immunization Awareness’ reaffirmed their commitment for strengthening collaboration to ensure equitable access to routine immunization services and to support Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department in reaching every child with life-saving vaccines.
The meeting was organized by KHAGARAH Development Organization (KDO) in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) KP under Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s CSO Fund mechanism aimed to strengthen province-wide coordination to support routine immunization efforts, particularly in hard-to-reach and high-risk areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a communication.
Director EPI KP, Dr. Mehtab Khan chaired the session that was attended by officials of EPI, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi liaison team, district health offices, and a wide range of national and international civil society organizations, reflecting a strong multi-stakeholder provincial platform for immunization coordination.
Those who attended the meeting included Technical Officer WHO, Dr. Kashif Muqarab, Liaison Officer GAVI, Dr. Tariq Ahmad, Deputy Director Communication EPI, Ayaz Ahmad, DHO Lower Kohistan, Dr. Pirzada, CSO Focal Person EPI, Irfan Ahmad, Executive Director KDO, Farah Shahid, Director Programme KDO, Abdul Samad Lodhi, Programme Manager Blue Veins, Qamar Naseem, Executive Director EHSAR Foundation, Kazimullah Khan (Provincial Lead NHN Chapter KP), Abdul Hameed of ICMPD and Ms. Zainab.
Dr Mehtab Khan underscored the provincial government’s leadership and commitment to strengthening routine immunization through coordinated engagement with civil society partners.He said the EPI is intensifying efforts to raise vaccination coverage and achieve the target of exceeding 90 percent coverage by 2027, as outlined in the Provincial Immunization Strategy.
