Rawalpindi:
A campaign of the Health Department to administer vaccines for the prevention of cervical cancer to girls from nine to 14 years in all government and private schools in Rawalpindi has found significant obstacles.
The Association of Schools and Colleges of All Pakistan has blocked the inoculation of students in private institutions.
The president of the association, Malik Naseem, said that the parents of all students in private schools have categorically refused to vaccinate their daughters. “We cannot force the vaccine to any student in a private school,” he emphasized.
The health authority teams reported that in several private schools, the staff were sent to the offices with instructions indicated “no injection”. According to reports, in government schools, teachers refused to allow their own daughters to receive the vaccine.
The parents of students in public and private schools have explicitly instructed class teachers who do not manage injection under any circumstance, warning that strict action would continue if their directives were ignored. They also indicated that, in the case of any adverse reaction, FIRS would appear against the school leaders and class teachers.
The consent forms sent home by the school administrations were returned by the parents marked with “Big No”, effectively stopping the campaign. Also reports of attempts to manage the vaccine in some government schools have also emerged.
The Association of Teachers of Teachers and Educators of Punjab clarified that the problem lies between the parents and the Department of Health, and the teaching organizations are not intervening.
Meanwhile, the district’s health authority argues that the campaign continues successfully and expressed its confidence to achieve its goal.
