Their only weapon: polio drops in a small blue icebox with an ice pack to keep the vaccine cool, even though they themselves may be sweating and exhausted in the scorching heat.
uncertain
they → keep → heat
These health workers (mostly women as they are allowed inside homes) fight for the eradication of polio in Pakistan, one of only two polio-endemic countries in the world alongside Afghanistan.
asserted
they → allow → Afghanistan
Sadly, in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the fight against the crippling disease has run into rumours and misinformation, especially among the uneducated.
asserted
fight → cripple → uneducated
Many not just refuse to let their children receive the drops, they even turn violent if shown some sense.
asserted
they → refuse → sense
And yet in the face of all adversity the women carry on with their duty.
asserted
women → carry → duty
From 8am to 5pm, they walk miles as they go door to door asking if there is any child there under the age of five to administer the drops to.
asserted
they → walk → drops
Some 80 to 90 homes within a district are covered daily and the cycle must be repeated twice, even thrice sometimes, during a seven-day campaign.
asserted
cycle → cover → campaign
For safety reasons each team is also accompanied by a support team, including police and other personnel from the commissioner’s office and the Sindh government’s health department.
asserted
team → accompany → office
It was during such a campaign last year when in the field the Deputy Commissioner of District Central, Taha Saleem, heard of a problem that they had been overlooking while concentrating more on covering areas to administer vaccines, target number of children and the children missed because of family refusals.
asserted
they → hear → refusals
Through small lunches and Qinqi rickshaws, District Central administration helps make the enormous task of vaccinating thousands of children less daunting
One of the polio workers quietly diverted his attention to the amount of walking they have to do while covering areas.
asserted
they → make → areas
Though her colleagues laughed it off, the deputy commissioner got thinking.
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commissioner → laugh → it
There happened to be tens of thousands of homes in his district to be visited by around 4,000 polio workers who had to walk from eight to 10 kilometres daily to complete their task.
asserted
who → happen → task
In order to arrive on duty at 8am, many of the workers left their homes before dawn, around 6am.
asserted
many → arrive → dawn
And their work doesn’t usually finish precisely at 5pm.
asserted
work → finish → pm
Realistically, it is 7pm as they update their data.
asserted
they → update → data
The area supervisors who look after three to four teams even stay till 9pm.
asserted
who → look → pm
During this while they also barely ate even though their stipend of Rs1,500 per day included food and transportation allowance, which they would not spend to save money.
asserted
they → eat → money
So it came up to working for over 14 hours on an empty stomach.
asserted
it → come → stomach
Something had to be done.
asserted
Something → have → ?
And it included food and transportation for the polio workers.
asserted
it → include → workers
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed for this purpose with Saylani Welfare Trust and the Bohra Community for food and the Town Municipal Corporation for transportation.
asserted
Memorandums → sign → transportation
In District Central now, from 1pm to 2pm lunch is supplied during campaigns and they are also provided with transport in the shape of seven- to nine-seater rickshaws or qinqis.
asserted
they → supply → rickshaws
The qinqis bring the workers to the field and they remain parked there until the workers are done.
asserted
workers → bring → field
The drivers of these vehicles have each polio worker’s number, too, to make sure no one is missed while transporting them from here to there.
asserted
one → have → there
According to Taha Saleem, the little consideration shown to the polio workers has increased their turnover.
uncertain
consideration → accord → turnover
“Since last year, when we started facilitating them, we have also been able to retain the workers.
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we → start → workers
They have all returned this year,” he said.
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he → return → ?
Dr Aneel Kumar, who liaisons between the DC Office and the health department, said that thanks to transportation provided to the workers, they are also able to keep the vaccine fresh the entire day.
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they → liaison → vaccine
“Their ice packs used to melt.
asserted
packs → use → ?
But now they are able to go back to their facilitation centres to get fresh ice packs,” he said.
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he → go → packs
Kanwal Bashir, a polio worker, told Dawn that earlier to save money they used to have a samosa or a packet of chips, which would serve as lunch for them.
asserted
which → tell → them
“But now we get to eat better.
asserted
we → get → ?
The transport also helps us replace our ice pack every three to four hours to keep the vaccine fresh,” she added.
asserted
she → help → vaccine
The next polio campaign starts on Monday (today).
asserted
campaign → start → Monday
The teams of polio workers of District Central are feeling motivated and ready to face all challenges that come their way.
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that → feel → challenges
The Aporia
