Hyderabad: Vaccination drive limps due to lockdown curbs

Hyderabad: Vaccination of children has been affected to some extent in Telangana due to the ongoing lockdown. The government is taking steps to rectify the situation. Private clinics and hospitals face curbs by the medical and health department. As such for vaccinations, parents need to take their kids to primary health centres (PHCs).

A major obstacle to the vaccination issue is that parents are reluctant to take their kids or babies out fearing infection from the deadly and ubiquitous Coronavirus. Though vaccination is going on as usual at PHCs, field visits by the health personnel to different localities and areas in GHMC limits have almost come to nought. A good number of people await field personnel for vaccinating their children, but the current lockdown has come in the way.

Even nurses and ANMs are raising infection concerns as PHCs are crowded by parents when immunisation is conducted.

According to an ANM associated with a PHC on the city outskirts, a big dip was seen in the number of parents visiting PHCs during the lockdown period. The footfalls were just around 30 per cent in the last 15 days.

The fact that there are chances of mild fever or fever when vaccines are given is also worrying parents who do not how to get care during the stringent lockdown restrictions. Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Monday gave instructions to officials to take required measures and ensure immunisation drive goes on as usual.

"Any person who requires vaccination for children can go to any PHC on Wednesday and get their kids vaccinated. They need to carry mother MCH card or immunisation card of the child. From next week we will extend the programme to Saturday also," he tweeted. But there were less footfalls than are usual.

Minister K T Rama Rao earlier tweeted that Health Minister had directed all DMHOs in this connection. In view of the guidelines given, DMHOs have given directions to medical officers at PHCs to ensure social distancing and hand hygiene using sanitisers before every kid is administered vaccine.