TURA: Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Health and Family Welfare Department, Pravin Bakshi on Thursday evening convened a meeting in order to review the preparedness with regard to Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign (MRVC) in the districts of Garo Hills. The review meeting was held in the presence of West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh, District Medical and Health Officer, Dr M R Sangma, Superintendent, Tura Civil Hospital, Dr M A Sangma, District Medical Officers of all Districts and other Medical officers of Garo Hills region.
During the review meeting, Bakshi urged all the Public Health Centres to find out the refusal pockets, if there is any in the schools or villages so that due attention can be provided to those areas. He also cautioned them about clear cut planning for vaccine and logistic storage, distribution, ice pack preparation, etc once received from the state and emphasized that the vaccinators must be oriented on AEFI management before start of the campaign.
Seeking cooperation from the people, Bakshi said that Meghalaya will be the 25th State in India to launch the MRVC campaign on October 1 with an estimated target of about 13 lakh children. He said that this is the State’s biggest ever vaccination campaign in which the vaccines are WHO certified and completely safe and all children irrespective of previous immunisation status should received the vaccine and no child should be missed. He said that there is no harm in immunisation and parents should not fear to immunise their children and requested them to join hands to eliminate Measles and control Rubella, so that the future generation are free from these diseases.
Referring to the successful implementation of the MRVC campaign in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh among the North Eastern states, Pravin Bakshi informed that in Mizoram the education department took the lead for awareness and likewise he urged everyone to support in achieving the required target which must be more than 95 % to make the campaign a success by using the power of social media and other medium as well to spread the message of MRVC campaign to everyone in the entire district.
A few issues and challenges faced in the district especially in the plain belt region and certain areas of the district which however, have been countered with people now willing to come for vaccination, was apprised by West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh.
Senior Medical Officer and Representative World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Santosh Sahoo while presenting the status of preparedness in Garo Hills region briefed that almost all the initial part of the campaign like District Task Force Meeting, organising workshop for medical officers and staff, principals, nodal teachers and awareness campaign for Nokmas, NGOs, parents teacher meetings in schools including community mobilisation in villages have been organised and is continuing parent teacher meetings and community mobilisations in all the districts. Dr Sahoo also informed that orientation of ASHA, Anganwadi, AEFI meeting have also been done and micro plan have also been submitted to their respective districts.