Bhubaneswar: In a major step towards preventive health care for mother and children, the intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0 has been rolled out in the State from March 7 for boosting full immunization coverage of the targeted women and children.
Modalities of the mission were discussed in the State Steering Committee of IMI held on digital mode under Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra on Tuesday.
Reviewing the progress made so far, Mahapatra directed to strengthen the awareness and mobilization activities at the ground level with active participation of the community leaders, PRI representatives, NGOs, ASHA and Anganwadi Workers.
He also directed concerned departments more particularly the departments of women and child welfare, school and mass education, panchayati raj and drinking water, scheduled tribe, scheduled caste and minorities development, housing and urban development, labour and ESI, sports and youth affairs, information and public relations to ensure convergence at the ground zero level as per the micro plans, and ensure that no eligible child or pregnant mother is left without full immunization coverage in this drive.
The CS also directed to ensure that “ongoing covid vaccination does not get affected in course of this Mission”. Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare Sri Raj Kumar Sharma outlined various contours of the Mission for discussion. It was decided in the meeting that timing of the vaccination on the decided dates would be as per the convenience of the community, and the vaccination camps would be within their easy reach.
Sharma said, “As per the reports of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, Odisha topped the list at national level in full immunization coverage with 90.5% of full immunization. Generally full immunization includes preventive doses against 12 different kinds of diseases including polio, tuberculosis, jaundice, diphtheria, hooping cough, tetanus, Hib brain fever, pneumonia, measles, rubella, diarrhea, Japanese fever etc.”
Total 20 districts of the state were above 90% in full immunization, and 10 districts were below 90%. Sri Sharma added that a composite index including 5 variables was adopted for selecting the districts to be taken up under present IMI 4.0.
Presenting the updates, Director Family Welfare, Dr Bijaya Panigrahi said that 12 districts namely Cuttack, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Koraput, Khordha, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Sundargarh were selected for inclusion under IMI as per the composite index assessment.
Further, Dr Panigrahi added that the vaccination drive would be done in three rounds wherein different doses of various vaccines would be given. The targeted population would be the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated pregnant women, and the children of less than 2 years.
Vaccination would be done in 3 rounds viz. 1st Round- from 7 March, 2nd Round- from 4 April, and 3rd Round from 2 May of the current year, and duration of each round would be seven days. Chief Secretary Sri Mahapatra directed to focus on coverage of the children who took birth in homes, children of migrating people to nearby towns, nomadic tribes, brick kiln workers, workers on construction sites, urban slums, orphanages, prisons, hard to reach areas, and tribal pockets etc.
Principal Secretary Information and Public Relations, and School and Mass Education Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Ashok Kumar Meena, Principal Secretary ST, SC and Minority Development Ranjana Chopra, Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development G Mathivathanan, Mission Director National Health Mission Shalini Pandit, Secretary Women and Child Development Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma along with senior officers from WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, John Snow International, State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, and concerned departments participated in the discussions.
