Rawalpindi:
A campaign of the health department to administer vaccines against the prevention of cervical cancer to girls from nine to 14 years old in all government and private schools in Rawalpindi has encountered significant obstacles.
The All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association blocked the inoculation of students in private establishments.
The president of the association, Malik Naseem, said that the parents of all the students of private schools categorically refused to have their daughters vaccinated. “We cannot force the vaccine to any student of a private school forcibly,” he said.
The teams of health authorities said that in several private schools, the staff had been removed from the offices with instructions indicating “no necessary injection”. In public schools, teachers would have refused to authorize their own daughters to receive the vaccine.
Parents of students from public and private schools explicitly asked teachers not to administer the injection in any case, warning that strict measures would follow if their directives were ignored. They also indicated that in the event of an adverse reaction, the FIR would be deposited against the heads of the establishment and the teachers.
The consent forms returned to their homes by school administrations were returned by parents marked with “big no”, which effectively finished the campaign. Reports have also emerged from attempts to force the vaccine in certain public schools.
The association of teachers of Punjab teachers said that the problem is between parents and the health service, and teacher organizations do not intervene.
Meanwhile, the Health Authority district argues that the campaign takes place successfully and has expressed its confidence in achieving its objective.
