SGH district magistrate clarifies on ‘forced injection’

SHILLONG: The South Garo Hills district magistrate has clarified that the Health and Family Welfare Department is not running any vaccination drive other than the routine immunisation programmes.
This comes at a time when cases of forced injections to children have been reported from several parts of the district. On Tuesday, an FIR was filed after a five-year-old girl was allegedly given injection in Namchapara, a border village.
The district magistrate, in a statement, said “if at all there are any (drive), the same will be done only by village ANMs and male health workers and vaccinators who are trained and authorised to do so”.
The statement also had a word of caution for parents and teachers who have been asked to stay alert when their wards are out.