By Our Moreh Corresspondent
MOREH, Feb 19: While a massive campaign is being undertaken nationwide today for eradication of polio, 17 villages in Khengjoy and Moreh blocks in Chandel district recorded a total blank due to indifference of family welfare department officials.
These villages where the organisation of pulse polio immunisation did not materialised fall under the authority of DIO S Priyokumar, who is also a medical officer of Moreh Primary Health Centre.
Comparatively, Tengnoupal, Khengjoy and Moreh blocks which used to have 104 polio booths last year has reportedly been allotted just 61 booths this year, out of which 20 booths are in Tengnoupal, based on information accumulated by the department. The correct statistics submitted by Asha was undermined in favour of undersized statistics conjured up reportedly by their superiors.
Consequently, a heavy shortfall in supply of polio vaccines was discovered. Doctors and ASHA at Moreh PHC took stock of the acute situation and after much deliberation decided to go ahead with today`s pulse polio immunisation schedule for the sake of the children. With no other alternative in hand, the process of administration of the vaccine begun with the plan to provide them to maximum number of children possible.
To their satisfaction, they were able to provide immunisation to 4148 children which was more than they had anticipated. However, only 77 of the 101 ASHA assigned duties were utilised in today`s programme. In some more villages, polio vaccines kept as stock for the PHC were utilised.
However, in 17 villages the administration of polio vaccine could not take place due to unavailability of vaccine. More painfully, no medicine are left for the house to house immunization which usually follows the first day campaign.
Villagers belonging to the places where immunisation could not provided blamed the state family health department for the fiasco.
They complained that senior officers of the department relied solely on the incorrect data forwarded by slacked doctors who never visited the villages. The unfortunate situation could have been averted if the department had acted on the basis of the strength of infants illegible for the programme collected by ASHA.