Migrant Workers In Tamil Nadu Denied For Vaccination As Officials Aksed For Voter ID
Migrant Workers were allegedly denied for vaccination in Tamil Nadu
Migrant Workers were allegedly denied for vaccination as officials only distributed tokens to those who had voter ID.
On Monday, the district administration had began Covid vaccination drives in government schools.
A migrant worker, Santosh, 24 years old shared his experience about the vaccination drive that he gets to know about the government school from his firend where he stood in the que for long three hours but did not receive any token or slot. He said that after a long wait , at his turn the officials asked him for his voter ID.
According to officials, only those with a valid voter ID will be able to get vaccinated. Due to a lack of transportation, he was unable to travel to his native country to obtain his ID.
Several migrant workers were refused to get vaccinations by health officials across the district.
Regarding the issue, Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) Treasurer P Mohan said that the cost of private Covid vaccines puts additional financial strain on these units. The district administration's decision to require voter identification will cause problems for migrant workers from other districts and states across the country.
Meanwhile, an official from the district administration stated that the decision was taken after keeping in mind that Migrant Workers queued in front of the Primary Health Centre which used most of the doses provided by the Central Government. As a result, residents demanded the intervention of district administration and asked officials to vaccinate residents priorly. Moreover, this procedure will eliminate the need for residents to travel from one PHC to another.
He further added that following the selection of a voting booth in the zone, the Village Administration Officer (VAO) and his team will present a token to local voters. Residents will be allowed to visit the government schools for vaccination based on the token. While vaccination camps for garment workers will be arranged later.