SAMAA TV and UNICEF's Polio Control Cell Initiative in Pakistan

SAMAA TV has initiated the FIRST public-private partnership with UNICEF Pakistan and the Ministry of Health to position MEDIA as the watchdog on healthcare delivery services. This partnership is in particular focusing on the polio eradication campaigns, which has become a national cause and is now being adopted by other public as well as private television channels.

The Polio Control Cell aims at bridging the gaps between the field teams and the missed out children all over Pakistan by providing the parents a common contact through which they can make complaints if the field teams do not reach their homes. This control cell aims at providing 100% immunization coverage for all children in Pakistan. The cell also disseminate information related to Government health initiatives and carry out awareness campaigns and ensures coordinated efforts between Polio Control Cell, Health EDOs across Pakistan and 75,000 polio vaccination team members.

The Polio Control Cell has provided a platform for the health authorities to reach out to the most vulnerable communities and include every child below 5 years in the national polio vaccination programme. Since its inception in October 2008, more than 27,000 complaints were recorded and managed by the television channels resulting in vaccinating 22,000 children, who otherwise would have been left unvaccinated, hence resulting in the re-emergence of the Polio virus in the region.

This initiative managed a big challenge on ground by empowering the media to play the role of the watch dog and pressurize the health authorities to deliver on improving the health service delivery systems. The initiative has also been recognized as a bench mark for future Polio campaigns around the world by Global Director of the World Health Organization, Bruce Alyward and the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates at their maiden visit of Nigeria this year.

The initiative between UNICEF and SAMAA TV has lead to a unique innovation in health delivery mechanisms and created an opportunity for the media in Pakistan present this innovative model at the 6th Innovation Journalism Conference held at Stanford University between May 18-20 2009. The VINNOVA-Stanford Research Center of Innovation Journalism has also asked SAMAA TV's CEO to make a special presentation at the summit of Innovation Journalism of the European Union at Bonn, Germany on 30th May 2009.

The same initiative will be showcased at the International Innovation Journalism Conference in Slovenia in September 2009. This will include a roundup of activities for the 1 year achievements of this initiave.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Pakistan
• Polio
• Polio Control Cell
• SAMAA TV
• Amir Jahangir
• UNICEF
• Babar Bin Atta
• Melisa Corckum
• Kaira
• Bill Gates
• Ministry of Health
• Meher Bokhari

[1888junkteam]

excellent work!

[sayedislm]

Miliants in northern Pakistan have triggered a medical emergency by refusing to allow health officials to conduct a polio vaccination campaign.