Srinagar, Aug 21: In the wake of continued crisis in Kashmir, child immunization has received a severe jolt with medicos worried over the safety of children. While it has become difficult for the health workers to administer vaccines to children during curfews, the Family Welfare Department is not taking any measures to address the problem.
Informed sources told Greater Kashmir that the scheduled “vaccination-on-time” against different diseases is not taking place as the Primary Health Centres and Sub-Centres, where the immunization is done, remain closed due to the ongoing turmoil. The crisis is making it difficult for both the staff and people to reach the immunization centres.
“Yes, the scheduled vaccination on time against Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Polio, Measles and Hepatitis-B has suffered significantly due to the crisis,” said an official in the Department of Family Welfare.
The immunization for children of different age is done on Wednesday every week. But because of curfew, restrictions and strikes, health workers are unable to collect vaccines from the PHCs where they are stored in “specific temperatures. “This way they (workers) are unable to vaccinate children at the sub-centres in different areas of Kashmir,” the sources said.
As if it was not enough, the Department is running short of vaccines, which are procured from different states of India. This time, the sources said, the Department is running short of vaccine for Hepatitis-B.
Medical experts fear that if the vaccination is not done in time, it can have dangerous consequences. “The entire immunization programme would suffer. And whatever efforts have been made so far to control various childhood diseases like TB, Polio, Diptheria etc. would get jeopardized,” said a doctor associated with the immunization process.
For the past one decade, Jammu and Kashmir has earned a distinction of being a polio-free state. But, the doctor said, any negligence with regard to polio vaccination can have dangerous ramifications. “The Health Department has to ensure that workers reach the sub-centres amid curfew and adequate vaccines are available in the Valley and stored properly. You just can’t take childhood immunization lightly,” he said, adding government must issue special curfew passes to health workers so that they can reach the vaccination chambers in time.
The Director, Family Welfare, Dr Pandotra acknowledged they were facing some problems with regard to child immunization. “It is a natural consequence of the crisis. But the programme is not suffering severely. We have issued strict instructions to all the centres that they must remain open and administer vaccines to children,” he told Greater Kashmir, admitting that the Department was running short of vaccines for Hepatitis-B. “Rest there is no shortage. Our men are at work. In villages and far flung areas our sub-centres are functional.”
The assistant director, Family Welfare, Dr Saleem Rehman said initially they experienced some problem, but it was over now. “We would administer vaccines on Wednesdays, but now I have asked the concerned staff to do the job on open days,” he said, refuting categorically that the immunization was suffering. “Initially we had some problems, but now I have asked the staff to ensure that they remain in the centres till 6 pm on open days and do the vaccination job.”

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