HOW SMARTLY official records were fudged to claim hundred per cent success of the pulse polio drive held in February has become shockingly evident from a letter written by the chief medical officer Allahabad.
The letter reveals that the medical officers and other health department staff had taken senior officials for a ride, by producing inflated records, due to which Allahabad district is facing a very embarrassing situation at the State level.
In a letter to the chief medical superintendents of SRN and district hospitals including Beli and Colvin, superintendents of community health centres and PHC incharge, CMO Dr Shanitimal Singhavi clearly pointed out that in the last round of pulse polio drive on February 26, 2006, the district failed to meet even the State's average of immunising children at the polio booths.
"There were many irregularities in the polio drive due to which district health department's image has become badly tarnished at the State level.
After reviewing the drive it was found that mandatory five questions related to the polio immunisation asked from the residents during house to house activity were skipped. This led to wrong markings and high number of false 'P' cases.
{{/usCountry}}After reviewing the drive it was found that mandatory five questions related to the polio immunisation asked from the residents during house to house activity were skipped. This led to wrong markings and high number of false 'P' cases.
{{/usCountry}}Very few number of 'X' cases (indicating child not administered polio drive) were converted into 'P' cases which indicated that the supervisors and house to house team failed to visit every house before the drive concluded," said Dr Shantimal in the letter.
Further expressing dissatisfaction in his letter over the way official records of polio drive were made, the CMO said, "the way figures were recorded, it was not clear that whether the child has been administered polio drop or not."
The CMO directed the officials to call a meeting of health workers and supervisors and issue strict directions so that these irregularities are not repeated in the forthcoming drive.
"Strict action will be taken against the health department worker, if they are found making the same mistake in the polio drive starting from March 9. In case any voluntary health worker showed carelessness towards the drive, he shall be immediately removed from the team," he further added.