Pakistan: HPV vaccination team attacked in Punjab's Mandi Bahauddin, second incident in three days

Punjab [Pakistan], September 28 (ANI): A team of female health workers administering human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin district was attacked on Saturday, the second such incident reported in three days, Dawn reported.

The latest attack took place in a non-formal education school in the village of Ratuwal under Kathian Sheikhan police station limits. A 55-year-old villager entered the school and attempted to assault a female health supervisor, according to Dawn.

Kathian Sheikhan’s Station House Officer Sabir Iqbal Sindhu said the suspect “tried to attack the supervisor with a stick and by lifting a chair, threatened serious consequences and used foul language.” He added, “The sudden attack caused a stampede in the school, and the vaccination process had to be stopped immediately.”

Health Supervisor Shamim Anjum told Dawn that she and her team were forced to leave the premises to save their lives. “The assurance of security given by the provincial health minister on the first incident of September 25 has not been fulfilled yet, and no practical action has been taken by the police,” she said.

Police confirmed that a case has been registered based on her complaint. The FIR, a copy of which was reviewed by Dawn, was lodged under sections 186 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The SHO said action has been initiated against the suspect, and his arrest will follow.

On Thursday, an HPV vaccination team was also attacked in Mandi Bahauddin’s Chak No. 38, where a woman health worker was beaten up by locals. Punjab’s health minister had taken notice of that incident and issued instructions for security, but health workers say Saturday’s attack shows no implementation of those directives.

When contacted by Dawn, Mandi Bahauddin, the Chief Executive Officer of Health, declined to comment and hung up the phone. Health workers say that without police security, they will not be able to continue administering vaccines.

The HPV vaccine, introduced in Pakistan in 2022, has been rolled out nationwide to protect adolescent girls from cervical cancer.

Phase 1 of the campaign, which ran from September 15-27, covered Punjab, Sindh, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), and the Islamabad Capital Territory.

The programme aims to vaccinate 90 per cent of girls aged 9-14 in these regions by the end of 2025, with subsequent phases to extend coverage to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan in the coming years. (ANI)

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