"Comparing Healthcare Worker Density and Distribution in KPK, Punjab, and Sindh: Implications for Polio Eradication”

Abstract

Polio is still a major health problem in Pakistan one of the few countries of the world where the disease is still prevalent. The major determinant necessary to polio eradication is the distribution and density of healthcare workers because these are the personnel who have to mobilize the population and ensure children are immunized. This paper therefore seeks to determine the distribution of healthcare workers in KPK, Punjab and Sindh with specific reference to polio immunization. Therefore, both the quantitative secondary data is collected from the government and global health sources and qualitative data collected from health care professionals and community members. In relation to the workforce distribution, it was found that KPK has had challenges in terms of security, Punjab has a relatively stable health system and Sindh has variation in the immunization between urban and rural settings. It emphasizes the value in workforce plans for delivery, the protection of health workers and policies to improve immunization programme. Examination of these barriers is important in the sight of offering equal access to health care and sustenance of polio eradication in Pakistan.