Dr. Abdul Jabbar, Director Health Services (EPI), reiterated that a safe, healthy and disease free life is the right of every child and pledged that EPI Punjab will ensure no one misses the benefits of vaccines anywhere in the province. His remarks underlined a renewed push for child vaccination across urban and hard-to-reach communities in Punjab.
Describing a new phase of collaboration that transcends barriers between public and private actors, Dr. Jabbar said the partnership with Civil Society Organizations has ushered in a practical community service model focused on delivering vaccines and building demand at the grassroots. The emphasis on coordinated outreach aims to strengthen routine immunization and expand child vaccination coverage where it is most needed.
The first-ever CSO review brought together heads of partner organizations and key stakeholders, including FDI representative Ms. Huma Khawar, TGF representative Dr. Irtaza Chaudhry and the focal person for the CSO initiative in Punjab Mr. Sajjad Hafeez. Participants discussed operational steps to synchronize service delivery and demand generation under the joint framework.
The CSOs have joined EPI Punjab under an innovative initiative supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to implement a synergized and synchronized service delivery and demand generation model in selected areas. This approach seeks to plug coverage gaps in urban slums, marginalized settlements and underserved settings and to accelerate child vaccination in those communities.
Team leads from Agahe, REEDS and Rahnuma attended the review and committed to focused outreach alongside EPI teams. The collaboration signals a practical effort to reach missed children across Punjab and to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines.
