Nagpur Today:
Rains bring its own maladies along with merry moments, especially for children, but the Health Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation appears to be in deep slumber. In a shocking revelation, it surfaced that for the past four months, there has been no vaccine for infants as the immunization drive has been stopped at around 900 anganwadis in Nagpur. Sources said the immunization drive has taken a big hit following the acute staff scarcity in most of these aanganwadis.
Confirming the development, NMC Health Officer Dr. Savita Meshram said, “It is true that door to door vaccination drive has been stopped and for time being, the programme has also been put on hold at aanganwadis. But our eradication drive is on.”
Meshram informed that Municipal Urban Health Mission has received approval for recruitment of 120 nurses and the process is being resumed.
The current season is considered as highly infectious where children, especially new born are prone to various diseases. Under such circumstances the department has posed serious health risks before hordes of new born babies and infants.
The ANM nurses go door to door to administer drops to the children. However, from April Municipal Corporation pulled off the campaign without any prior notification. As a result, the children are not getting immunized nor the health screening of pregnant women is being done.
Children aged 0 to 5 years age are administered vaccines like BCG, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, C, cough, diphtheria, tetanus, vitamin A and double, triple and a booster dose under government’s Reproductive Child Healthcare (RCH) program. Civic body channelizes the task through its health department. But owing to the staff crisis, the programme has come to a grinding halt.
– Puja Singh
