A mass-deworming exercise will be held in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi like the rest of the country, as part of efforts to improve the health of children, particularly those enrolled in schools.
First Lady Samina Arif Alvi on Monday said mass-deworming of 17 million children in Pakistan was important in supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and also hitting the government’s top health targets of overcoming malnutrition and anemia.
She was speaking at the launch ceremony of the awareness campaign of the second Annual Mass-Deworming at the Islamabad Model College for Girls, F-7/4, with January 23, 2020 set as the Deworming Day.
The school-based deworming programme in coordination with the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education will treat 547,000 children aged 5-14 years in Islamabad to overcome intestinal infections.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said deworming of children would ensure their improved physical and cognitive growth, resistance to infections and positive school performance.
Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Kanwal Shauzab said the initiative was in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of addressing the health challenges of children, including malnutrition and stunted growth. She urged the parents to send their children aged 5-14 years to their nearest government or private schools on January 23, 2020, during school timings for free and safe deworming medicine.
Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said malnutrition was a big challenge for the country with the highest mortality rate in the region.