Bharat Chauhan,
In a country of more than 1.3 billion people spread across three million square kilometres of diverse terrain, with 22 national languages and numerous religions and cultures, there are logistical and social challenges to overcome to ensure all families are ready when special immunisation drives for would-be mothers and children (under 0-2 years) begin.
However, ever since the Mission Indradhanush programme has been included in Govt. of India’s Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, there is a renewed energy within the health workers, community mobilisers, leaders in districts and states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh – who’ve been tirelessly reaching out to hard-to reach areas even in difficult conditions like no road, transport connectivity, floods, monsoons, etc – to ensure no pregnant mother or child is left from vaccination against life-threatening diseases
The vaccine is distributed from central stores to the states, then to districts, and then to cold storage facilities around the country. The government and partners meet at block, district, state and national levels to develop and update detailed microplans for the Mission Indradhanush rounds;
setting out roles and responsibilities, houses to be covered on each day, the names of vaccinators, their supervisors and key influencers. These detailed local microplans are a key to the success of the campaign. Vaccination teams draw up maps of their vaccination area. Posters are plastered throughout neighbourhoods, and banners strung up across busy intersections. Vaccinators, field volunteers and community mobilisers are trained and re-oriented. Children’s rallies and school awareness sessions are held to raise awareness among parents. Health worker meetings are conducted with mothers, mosques and other religious and social institutions announce the dates of the campaign and urge parents to immunise their children. Everyone knows when Indradhanush round is about to begin.
