BERHAMPUR: Twenty-two villages in three gram panchayats of Ankuli, Tumba and Buratal under Patrapur block have reportedly not yet been vaccinated as there are no roads to these places.
Now, with the impending fear of Omicron, health officials have started the vaccination drive since December 20 but not many are showing up to take the jab due to poor road connectivity. Faced with an uphill task, a few teams took the water route and administered vaccines to around 600 beneficiaries in 16 villages in the last three days. “We vaccinated villagers of Elgal, Baniabasa, Sirisiganda, Maduaguma, Beheraputu and Jharibada under Ankuli panchayat, besides Gudikhala, Dabuthali, Gudipadar, Soroda, Laida, Talabada, Mahisikhata and Badasachara in Buratal and Tumba panchayats using motorcycles after crossing two nullahs,” said Dr. Sambit Kumar Begroy, medical officer of Patrapur hospital.
In the absence of pucca roads, villagers depend on country boats to cross Baghalati reservoir besides hilly and forest areas to reach the mainland. Begroy further added that lack of roads cannot be a reason for not vaccinating people and assured that rest of the villages will be covered in a few days.
In August this year, the district administration had engaged folk artists as well as various department officials in the area to spread awareness on vaccination. However, nothing materialised as villagers could not reach the vaccination centres.