JAMMU /POONCH/ NEWS UDAAN
The three-day Intensified Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign was formally inaugurated at Raja Sukhdev Singh District Hospital, Poonch, by Deputy Commissioner Poonch, Ashok Kumar Sharma, JKAS, in the presence of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Parvaiz Ahmed Khan, Medical Superintendent District Hospital Dr. Mohd Shafeeq, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruby Naz Bhatti, District Immunization Officer Dr. Zoohra Parveen and other health officials.
The campaign was launched by administering two drops of oral polio vaccine to a child.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Parvaiz Ahmed Khan said the campaign aims to ensure 100 percent immunization coverage of all children aged 0 to 5 years across the district.
He informed that the first day, June 28, has been dedicated to booth-based vaccination, while house-to-house visits will be conducted on June 29 and 30 to vaccinate children who may have missed the booth sessions.
Dr. Khan said Poonch district has a total population of 5,60,183, with 79,560 children in the 0-5 years age group identified for vaccination.
A total of 427 vaccination booths have been established across the district, including 32 in Urban Poonch, 140 in Mandi, 120 in Mendhar and 135 in Surankote.
To supervise the campaign, 86 supervisors have been deployed, with one supervisor monitoring every five booths.
He further informed that the target child population includes 4,320 children in Urban Poonch, 24,670 in Mandi, 26,000 in Mendhar and 24,570 in Surankote.
The campaign will cover 92,903 households across the district. Special arrangements have also been made for 24 hard-to-reach areas, six high-focus areas, 13 transit points, four mobile teams and four mela/bazaar teams to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.
A total of 1,708 team members, including paramedics, ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and volunteers, have been deployed for the successful implementation of the campaign.
The campaign was simultaneously inaugurated across all subdivisions of the district. At Mendhar, the programme was inaugurated by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Zimran Rashid Katria in the presence of Block Medical Officer Dr. Gazala Chowdhury and health staff. At Surankote, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Farooq Nazaki inaugurated the drive in the presence of Block Medical Officer Dr. Mohd Yousuf and officials.
At Mandi, Tehsildar Mohd Ashfaq flagged off the campaign in the presence of Block Medical Officer Dr. Reyaz Jan and health staff.
The immunization drive was also launched at Government Primary Health Centres, Sub-Centres, schools and Anganwadi Centres across the district by former PRI representatives and senior citizens. Transit vaccination points have been established at all major entry points to vaccinate eligible children travelling into the district.
The Health Department appealed to all parents and guardians to ensure that every child below five years of age receives the life-saving polio vaccine during the campaign, reaffirming its commitment to keeping Poonch district polio-free.
Report.......Anil Bhardwaj
