IGH worked closely with the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the Government of Pakistan, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation leadership to provide support for frontline polio workers.
Under this grant, IGH has been working with the NEOC’s Compensation Committee to arrange compensation through a “Polio Worker Fund” for families of deceased or injured polio workers as recommended by the Committee and approved by the NEOC Core Team. Additionally, IGH worked with the National EOC and Provincial EOC leadership to identify frontline polio workers most heavily affected by the extreme flooding in Pakistan in 2022. Checks were then prepared and distributed to lists of workers identified to aid in the repair of damages to their homes and general economic recovery following the natural disaster.
2022 Floods
In early 2022, Pakistan experienced torrential monsoon rains which resulted in the most severe flooding in the country’s recent history. Hundreds of thousands of homes, public health facilities and water systems were damaged or destroyed. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) estimated that more than 33 million persons were affected by the flooding crisis, with nearly 8 million people displaced. Even now, an estimated 1.85 million people remain displaced.
Pakistan is one of just two countries where Polio remains endemic. Given the surge in polio cases and the associated outbreaks in multiple districts in mid-2022, those living in flood effected areas experienced an increased risk of polio transmission, making ongoing polio eradication efforts in the country even more crucial. Throughout this crisis, frontline Polio workers remained dedicated to their essential role in polio eradication-often working through the crisis while their homes were destroyed. In recognizing to the sacrifices and incredible work done by these teams, Integral Global partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) to bring flood relief funding to affected Frontline Polio Workers.
