**Punjab Health Department Enhances Immunization Outreach with WHO-Donated Motorcycles**
The Punjab Health Department, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has distributed motorcycles to vaccinators in Lahore to strengthen the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and improve outreach to underserved communities. The initiative aims to enhance the mobility of frontline health workers, enabling them to reach children who have missed routine immunizations and thereby boosting coverage rates in high-priority districts.
At a ceremony held at the Directorate General Health Services Punjab, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir presented the motorcycles to Lahore-based EPI vaccinators. The event was attended by Director General Health Services Punjab Dr. Khalil Ahmed Sikhani, Director Health Services Lahore (EPI) Dr. Samra Khurram, Head of Office WHO Sub Office Punjab Dr. Jamshaid Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Technical) Health & Population Department Dr. Zohaib Hassan, UNICEF Immunization Officer Dr. Khurram Mubeen, and several technical officers from both WHO and the local health authority.
WHO Pakistan has provided a total of 200 motorcycles to vaccine teams across ten priority districts in Punjab—Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, DG Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Kasur, and Bahawalnagar—with each district receiving 20 motorcycles. These districts were selected due to their high numbers of children who have never received a vaccine (“zero-dose”), as well as those who are overdue or have defaulted on immunization schedules. The target population in these areas is estimated to be approximately eight million.
Officials stressed that improving the mobility of immunization staff will facilitate access to difficult-to-reach segments of the population, allowing health workers to conduct effective outreach and monitoring activities. The initiative is expected to play a crucial role in closing immunization gaps, increasing vaccine coverage, and protecting more children against preventable diseases in Punjab’s most vulnerable communities.
