World Health Day: Mission Indradhanush Is Making Immunisation Possible in Remotest Areas Of Madhya Pradesh

The view of the field of healthcare for common people like you and me is very rosy as we have access to modern facilities in hospitals and clinics near us. But what about health care workers and immunisation officials who have to overcome geographical, financial, political and societal barriers? They do not have swanky offices to operate from and instead have to tirelessly work to make the dream of universal healthcare possible by sometimes even risking their lives. A great example of this is the Indian government’s Mission Indradhanush which has managed to make immunisation of children under 2 years and pregnant women possible with the backing of people who are nothing less than heroes of the healthcare sector. On the occasion of World Health Day, let’s have a look at their exceptional work.

A Long Way To Go

Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh has some of the most difficult terrain of west-central India. It’s a tribal area with poor transportation services and poor road access. It is mostly a hilly area surrounded by backwater of Narmada River. The Sondwa block especially is an extremely remote place where many villages like Bhitara can be reached only via boats.

Bridging The Gap With Janani Express Boats

On the immunisation day, a boat ambulance carries health workers to each village. Bhitara is the closest one from Sondwa and takes about two hours to reach whereas the most distant one is Akadiya, which requires 7-8 hours of travel by boat. With such a distance to cover, the health workers often reach there on Day 1 on the Janani express boats, stay back to carry out theimmunisationsessions on Day 2 and leave the next day. Once they reach safely at Sondwa, they pay a tribute to the holy river Narmada as a gesture of gratitude.

Determined And Undeterred Health Care Workers

These areas are also regularly affected by floods and the tribal community there has problems accessing even basic stuff like food and water. Add to that the difficult weather here in thesummer season when temperatures touch 44 Degrees Celsius with high humidity. But the dedicated and determined health care workers are undeterred by all of this and have successfully carried out the immunisation programme during Mission Indradhanush very smoothly under Dr. Narendra Bhaydia who is the District Immunisation Officer of Alirajpur.

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Overcoming Barriers, Saving Lives

During the Intensified Mission Indradhanush rounds where thefocus was on reaching out to children left out or missed in the remotest corners, the health workers were helped by block level officials to reach immunisation sessions in far-flung areas.

After a long boat ride, the health care officials have to climb up the rocky hills in the scorching summer heat. They have no access to GPS or mobile network and are able to navigate only by using handmade maps that have been developed with the block officials. Reaching near the village, they are joined by ASHA workers. The health care workers also work towards spreading awareness on Mission Indradhanush by advertising about it on the walls of house and toilets in the local language.

Preskila Parmar: Saving Countless Lives For Over 20 Years

For almost 20 years, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Smt. Preskila Parmar is serving this area all by herself. She covers five villages where she administers vaccines to over 5,000 people. With no roads or transport facility, she has to travel by foot around the housing clusters which are located several kilometers apart. With single-minded determination, Preskila ensures that each child in the village is administered their routine vaccines.

Her Zindagi salutes the selfless and continuous efforts of the health workers like Preskila Parmar who keep the mothers and children of these hard-to-reach areas safe and secure from some of the deadly diseases. These workers sensitise, educate, inform the community, and close the last-mile gap, ensuring that every child is immunised and that the entire community is protected from vaccine preventable diseases.

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On our part, let’s pledge to take better care of our health and focus on all-round wellness for a healthier India.