BENGALURU: With just 36 days left for the first round of the pulse polio drive in 2016, the BBMP health department is worried about the negative publicity following the death of pair of twins.
On Friday, the four-month-old twins died reportedly after they were administered polio drops.
To compound the matter, the BBMP staff is also facing the extra burden of information and education communication (IEC) on solid waste management. All these have made the target of covering one lakh babies under the immunisation scheme a challenge.
Dr Sudarshan, Programme Officer for Immunisation, BBMP, said, Central officials and others have been briefed about the incident.
Now, the Palike has to focus on covering over 1 lakh children for the polio vaccination on January 11 and 21.
“We want to ensure that there is no fear or confusion among parents regarding immunisation,” he said.
Nurse Bhagyalakshmi, who takes care of immunisation at Bapujinagar Primary Health Centre, said, “This is a very sensitive issue as many parents start worrying about immunisation when false news get publicised. All the medical staff and link workers at the 74 health centres in BBMP toil hard to get all the babies immunised to ensure that they remain free of diseases like polio, measles, Diphtheria, Pertusis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Pneumonia.”
We Are Burdened
The nurses and link workers across the BBMP hospitals have to perform a dual task. They have to take up IEC campaign on communicable and non-communicable diseases, safe pregnancy and HIV. Now with a circular from the BBMP top officials, the nurses have also to take up activities like programmes on solid waste management.
“Considering the fact that there are less staff and more population, to work on other health schemes becomes risky and poses new challenges which puts the poor staff under stress,” a nurse said.