Economic crisis forces Health Department to cut anti-polio campaign duration and slash payments to polio workers in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], January 29 (ANI): Due to a serious economic and financial crisis, the Health Department has shortened the upcoming anti-polio campaign from seven days to four days and has also introduced substantial cuts to the remuneration of male and female polio workers, area in-charges and union council medical officers, according to a report by The Express Tribune (TET).

Major reductions have also been made to workers' facilities, sparking concerns that the anti-polio drive could be severely impacted. Polio workers, upset over the pay cuts, have staged protests and warned of further demonstrations. Assertions by the district administration regarding the eradication of polio in Rawalpindi have also been proven inaccurate. The next anti-polio campaign in Rawalpindi district is scheduled to start on February 2 and will run from Monday, February 2, to Thursday, February 5, TET reported.

Earlier, polio workers received a lump-sum payment of Rs 13,000 per campaign, which has now been slashed to Rs 7,000. Area in-charges, who previously earned a total of Rs 19,000 for the campaign duration, will now be paid Rs 9,216. Likewise, union council medical officers who earlier received Rs25,000 per campaign will now get only Rs16,000. Concerns have also been raised about the likelihood of further cuts in the future.

The health department is grappling with a serious financial and economic crunch, and payments have been reduced due to a lack of funds. Authorities have decided to continue these reductions in phases. Polio workers have strongly rejected the decision and demanded its reversal, calling for restoration of full previous compensation and warning of intense protests if their demands are not accepted, the TET report noted.

Female polio workers described the decision as unfair and said the government should reduce its own excessive spending instead of "stealing" the wages of poor daily-paid workers.

Last year, the district administration had declared Rawalpindi polio-free, but recent sampling has detected a significant presence of the polio virus in the city's sewage. Consequently, it has been decided to continue polio campaigns throughout 2026, with drives to be held every alternate month. Authorities have also decided to focus on families refusing polio drops. According to records, there has been a record surge in refusal cases in Rawalpindi, including in upscale areas such as Khayaban-e-Sir Syed and Satellite Town, as cited by the TET report. (ANI)

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