By R Lester Makang
UKHRUL, January 20: While the government targeted to cover every eligible child under the just concluded three-day Pulse Polio Immunization (PPI) program throughout the State, many kids in Ukhrul town have been left out of the drive due to lack of publicity for the campaign.
In previous years, normally, announcement regarding the PPI program was made through PA one day ahead of the drive in and around the town. However, this year no such publicity could be seen as some parents have complained saying that they were as such unaware of the date and venue for the program.
`We did not hear any loud speaker publicity about the program,`said a mother of an infant who missed the dose.
Consequently, on the day of launching of the three-day PPI drive, many parents missed to bring their kids to the vaccination camps held at Ukhrul Town Hall at Phungreitang and other parts of the town. It is learnt that on being informed of the immunization program, many perplexed parents took their wards to the Immunization department of the district hospital around noon time to get them administered the polio drops on the second day but only to find the office locked.
`On enquiring at the OPD counter of the district hospital, we were told that the PPI teams have gone out to various localities and might be stationed at several points on the main road,` said a mother, while adding that we then went to Town Hall area but where on earth did they vanish, the PPI teams were nowhere to be seen along the whole stretch of Phungreitang-Hamleikhong main road.
The same story continued on the third day as some parents still could not find the PPI teams to administer polio drops to their children. Some parents narrated that they were told that the PPI teams visited door to door in a few select areas, especially bazaar areas. `This is only for namesake, how could they be selective in administering the vaccine. If they could not visit every household or locality, then why did they not announce the public about the venue where they would be staying put?` contended another parent Athing, a resident of Phungreitang.
`Since we are left out of the first phase, we have to wait for the second phase in next month or so` she lamented.