Jamshedpur: The vaccination tragedy in Palamau still fresh in memory, young mothers who turned up at health centres and anganwadis in and around the steel city for Thursday's immunisation programme exuded mixed feelings.
This correspondent visited a community health centre (CHC) in Jugsalai and anganwadi in Bagbera, around 5km from city, also to test compliance with protocol amid strict orders to 200 auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) from the office of East Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr Maheshwar Prasad. The findings were encouraging.
Kiran Kumari Sinha, an ANM at the Jugsalai health centre, held up a transparent plastic pouch in which vaccine vials and diluents were tucked in between ice packs.
"We have standing instructions to keep checking the vaccine vial monitor (VVM), which is a heat-sensitive colour patch to ensure that the cold chain temperature is adhered to. We are also entering records of vials and diluents, mentioning date and time of opening. All unused ones will be returned to the central cold storage in Sakchi," she said.
The ANMs take help of an assistant to reconstitute vaccines before administering.
"We strictly follow the four-hour time rule (after which the medicine must be reconstituted)," said ANM Annapurna Palit.
Local residents, though apprehensive over four toddlers dying after last Saturday's booster shots at Loinga anganwadi in Palamau, seemed to have confidence in the proficiency of nurses at the community health centre.
"Didi se boli thik se injection dene ke liye. Isse pehle do baar le chuke hain yahan se (I requested the ANM to properly administer the injection. My toddler daughter has been immunised here twice before and she is doing fine)," said Manasi Mohanty (21), a Garhabasa homemaker and wife of Pradeep Mohanty, a factory worker in Gamharia.
Sangam Tiwary (30), a resident of Bagbera who got her two-year-old son vaccinated at the Jugsalai centre, said she had travelled 2km because she didn't want to go to an anganwadi. "I requested the ANM to take her time while giving the shot," said the wife of a printing press worker.
The scene at the Ramnagar anganwadi in Bagbera was heartening too.
" Aap log harbariye nahi... thoda samay lenge par thik se injection denge (Please do not make haste. We will take time, but will ensure vaccines are properly administered)," ANM Pushpa Devi was heard saying as the queue outside got longer and mothers impatient.
"We are prepared to wait... it is a matter of life and death," hollered back Janki Devi (25), a Bagbera homemaker and mother of a two-year-old son.
Civil surgeon Prasad said vaccines were transported in special vehicles from the central cold storage in Sakchi to nine rural CHCs, two urban CHCs, 18 rural primary health centres (PHCs) and six urban PHCs, all of which have specified refrigeration units.
"These centres redistribute vaccines to nearby anganwadis and 243 health sub-centres without breaking the cold chain. All ANMs are told to check the vial monitor to ensure a temperature of 2°C to 8°C is maintained. We use disposable syringes. The needles are destroyed using hub-cutters found in each anganwadi/health sub-centre," he added.
Do you know of other health centres that follow protocol? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
