Authorities in Balochistan have postponed the final anti-polio campaign of this year for the third time, now scheduling its start for December 30.

Initially, the seven-day campaign was set to begin on December 16. But the campaign was delayed until December 17 due to security concerns raised by the Balochistan government’s Home Department.

On Tuesday morning, it was announced that the campaign would start on December 18, but later in the evening, the Emergency Operations Center for Polio in Balochistan issued a statement confirming the new start date of December 30.

It is noteworthy that a Grand Health Alliance, consisting of health department employees’ organisations in Balochistan, has announced a boycott of the anti-polio campaign.

Health department employees are protesting against the government’s decision to operate public hospitals under a public-private partnership model.

One of the main reasons for postponing the anti-polio campaign was the boycott by health department employees, a Health Department official said, BBC Urdu reported.

Anam ul Haq, the Emergency Operations Center for Polio in Balochistan coordinator, stated that the campaign was delayed to allow for “better preparation to carry it out effectively.”

According to a statement, a meeting was held regarding the preparations for the campaign, attended by relevant officials from all districts.

Officials stated that the preparations for the anti-polio campaign assessed in the meeting. It includes improving micro-planning, team training, and community engagement to ensure an effective campaign.

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This year, Balochistan has reported the highest number of polio cases in Pakistan. According to the National Emergency Operations Center, 63 polio cases have been reported across the country so far, with Balochistan accounting for the majority at 26 cases.

The reported cases from Balochistan include areas such as Quetta, Chaman, Dera Bugti, Qila Abdullah, Jhal Magsi, Zhob, Qila Saifullah, Nushki, Loralai, Pishin, Kharan, Jaffarabad, and Chaghi.

From other provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 18 cases, Sindh 17 cases, and Punjab and Islamabad have each reported one case of polio so far this year.