Polio Workers Get 28% Stipend Boost
News Desk
Islamabad: The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has announced a 28 per cent increase in the daily stipend of more than 400,000 campaign-based frontline workers ahead of the country’s next polio vaccination drive.
The sub-national campaign will run from September 21 to 27, with vaccination teams expected to reach more than 31 million children in 115 districts across Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
The stipend increase follows a series of Frontline Worker Listening Sessions held across the country, providing vaccinators and other campaign personnel an opportunity to share their experiences, challenges and recommendations with PEI leadership.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq said frontline workers remained at the centre of Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate the disease.
“Our frontline workers are at the heart of Pakistan’s progress towards a polio-free future,” she said, adding that the stipend increase was an important step towards recognising their dedication and contribution.
Farooq said vaccination teams often worked in difficult conditions while going door to door to reach children and communities.
She added that the programme was committed to ensuring that frontline workers felt safe, respected, valued and supported in the field.
Steps to strengthen frontline support
The PEI said it was taking additional measures to improve the working conditions, safety and well-being of vaccination teams.
These measures include upgrading Frontline Worker Support Centres with basic amenities in selected areas, providing identification cards to workers and developing operational safety guidelines for field activities.
According to the initiative, the measures are aimed at strengthening the frontline workforce and enabling vaccination teams to reach children safely and effectively.
Polio cases decline sharply
The PEI said Pakistan had achieved a 99.8 per cent reduction in reported polio cases, from an estimated 20,000 cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.
Three cases have been reported so far in 2026, according to the initiative.
The programme attributed the decline to evidence-based and data-driven vaccination strategies, improved campaign quality, stronger disease surveillance and coordination with the Expanded Programme on Immunization, along with the continued efforts of frontline workers.
Ahead of the September campaign, the PEI urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that every child under five receives two drops of the oral polio vaccine.
The initiative also called on communities, religious leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support vaccination teams and help provide a safe environment for them to carry out their duties.
The PEI said continued support from partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative would remain important in sustaining progress towards a polio-free Pakistan.
