Srinagar, March 03: The three-day nationwide Pulse Polio vaccination campaign commenced in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, with an impressive 87 percent of children under the age of five receiving polio drops on the first day, according to officials.
Dr. Syed AbidRasheed Shah, Administrative Secretary of the Health & Medical Education Department of J&K, inaugurated the Pulse Polio Immunization drive at Children’s Hospital Bemina, Srinagar. He commended healthcare workers for their dedication and emphasized the importance of their efforts in ensuring the success of the Pulse Polio campaign.
Dr. Shah underscored the crucial role of ground-level workers who traverse remote areas to ensure that every child receives vaccination, emphasizing the need to eradicate polio both in India and globally.
Shah said health workers across J&K go to remotest geographical terrains and work very hard to ensure that not a single child is left out during the immunization drive.
“The scourge of polio needs to be eradicated in country and the world. India is a guiding light for this entire exercise in which we have make sure that we have eradicated,” he said.
In Jammu Division, the campaign was launched by Special Secretary of the Health & Medical Education Department J&K, Amarjeet Singh, and Director Health Services Jammu, Dr.RakeshMagotra, at Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. The campaign was inaugurated in district headquarters by respective Deputy Commissioners, alongside health officers and officials.
Dr TabasumJabeen, Director Family Welfare, MCH and Immunization, J&K said the first day of the campaign featured booth activities with a targeted population of 19,35,358 children aged 0-5 years receiving polio drops.
“On the second and third days, teams will conduct house-to-house visits to ensure coverage of those missed during the booth activity,” she told Rising Kashmir.
A total of 10,799 booths, manned by 42,929 trained health workers/vaccinators and 2,169 supervisors along with 549 mobile and 835 transit teams, have been deployed across the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
She said that ample quantities of pulse polio doses have been made available at designated booths throughout the territory.
“At the end of the first day, reports indicate that 16,81,808 children (87%) were administered polio drops at the booths established across the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir,” she said.
The first day was the booth day during which children were brought to immunization booths. Additionally, on March 4th and 5th, door-to-door campaigns will take place with efforts intensified to achieve 100% immunization coverage for all children across JK.
Similarly, in GMC Baramulla, PPI drive was launched at Associated Hospital GMC Baramulla with great enthusiasm and commitment to public health.
Chief Medical Officer Baramulla, Dr MastooraAkther, State Immunization Officer, Dr Sameena, Dr ParvaizMasoodi, MS Associated Hospital GMC Baramulla, DIO Baramulla, Head Department of Pediatrics GMC Baramulla, Dr WaseemIqbal and Deputy CMO Baramulla were present. The immunization team GMC Baramulla vaccinated nearly 100 babies ranging from one to five years of age during the inaugural session.
