Kashmir's mission mode: Vaccination ramped up with door-to-door campaign to reach remote areas

Kashmir: Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather while talking to media persons after inaugurating booster vaccination drive at public health center Srinagar said that on the directions of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, vaccination drive for all health care workers, front line workers and people of age above 60 with co-morbidities has been started.

He said that all necessary arrangements have been made for the eligible population. Taking it a challenge he said vaccine stock had already been sent to far-flung and snow-clad areas of Kashmir to make sure that all eligible people get vaccinated. 

Dr. Anjum Afshaa while taking a jab said: "If our healthcare care workers will remain safe then we can keep the public safe and all eligible population must come forward and get booster doses." 

As COVID-19 positive cases have increased in the past few weeks in Jammu Kashmir authorities too have geared up taking several steps to aware the people and make them follow the Covid protocol as the government of India had already made sufficient stock of vaccines in Kashmir.

Nayeem Akhtar (65) who got the booster dose said " it is very essential for us to save our life, especially people having comorbidities, people should come forward voluntarily to get vaccine."

"If we have to fight this pandemic, we have to go for vaccination she added" 

In Kashmir, beeline was seen in police hospital where Jammu Kashmir police cops were waiting for their turn to get precaution dose of COVID-19. As being the frontline workers, they are having maximum public dealing and the department wants them to be vaccinated earliest possible. 

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar kick-started the precaution vaccination process in Kashmir for frontline workers. He took the first jab of booster dose. Kumar said, "we being the frontline workers always come in contact with people and if we are safe we can help others. We have made all preparations across Kashmir with the help of health department to get our soldiers vaccinated" 

Police cop Mohammad Sadiq who got the precaution dose said, "I have already got two doses and now am here to get this dose, it's necessary for us, for people to get vaccinated and we are thankful to authorities who had made all these arrangements for us." 

After Prime Minister announced the precaution dose (booster dose) vaccination for healthcare workers, frontline workers and comorbid beneficiaries the health department of Jammu and Kashmir had taken the task on priority.

Total Beneficiaries for precaution dose in Jammu Kashmir are 6,88,286. Among them Healthcare Workers: 1,06,245, Frontline Workers: 3,17,631, Comorbid beneficiaries: 2,64,410. 

The health department has decided to start door to door campaign for the people above 60 who can't come to the vaccination centre because of illness or weather conditions. Small teams of the health department are made in all areas on Kashmir especially in rural and hilly areas for door-to-door vaccination.  

Earlier on January 1, the vaccination for the age group 15-18 was started in Kashmir which is going in full swing, and half of the target of 8.33 lakhs is already completed. Health officials say that we will complete both children vaccination and precaution dose vaccination in the next 10 days in Jammu Kashmir. 

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has started work on a war footing to complete the vaccination in the far-flung and border areas. 

For this, ASHA and Anganwadi workers are also working shoulder to shoulder to help the health workers. As there are many snow-clad areas in Kashmir that are inaccessible so small teams are constituted who go door to door and do vaccination especially of the above 60 age group who are not able to reach the vaccination centre's. 

In the inaccessible Upper reaches of Fakir Gujri area of the outskirts of the Srinagar district, at the height of 4500KM from sea level the administration has started the vaccination program with full force.  

Due to being a remote and inaccessible area, the health workers here had to walk several kilometers and go from village to village to get people vaccinated.  

Dr. Seem Ashraf, the nodal officer for vaccination of the area said " the people here face difficulties in reaching health centers especially those aged above 60, so we want to go to their homes so that they get precaution dose which started from yesterday and process is going on.

She added, it's tough for us to approach those areas but as we see Covid is aging, gripping so we go their homes so that they get benefited, for 15-18 we have kept centers they can approach us but we want to reach people who are old." 

Fakir Gujri which comes under block Hazratbal has the population, 2083 of above 60 age group and 560 is the population of the age group of 15-18 which are eligible for vaccination.

Sadiya a covid frontline worker said,"We face a lot of problems terrine is tough and is snow covered and is slippery we have to walk many kilometres for door-to-door vaccination, not only that we have to motivate them and some time we face resistance too." 

"But we want people should remain safe in this pandemic and this too we have made it our goal to finish the 100% vaccination as soon as possible" she 

The local people are very happy with this initiative of the government. And say that we are thankful to the health workers who visit those areas. 

Abdul Khaliq Ganai (66) a local of Fakir Gujri said " we have a lot of benefits we are thankful to healthcare workers as they are doing the noble job which benefits us a lot."

Mohammad Wasim (17) said " there is a lot of snow and old people can't go down so this is very good for them. I had also appealed to my friends to get vaccinated as the third wave is coming and that's very dangerous, we appreciate the health care workers for coming here" 

Kashmir health department has made similar kind of teams which go door to door in all rural and snow cladded areas of kashmir as well as for the border areas. Where already stock of vaccine for both age groups are kept available.