Union Health Minister urges States/UTs to rope in religious leaders to increase vax coverage

New Delhi, Nov 22 (FN Agency) Union Health Minister Mansuk Mandaviya on Monday called upon all the States and Union territories to rope in various stakeholders, including non-government organisations (NGOs), religious leaders and community influencers to expand the vaccination coverage. “Vaccination is a powerful weapon against Covid-19. Let us embark on aggressive campaigns for increasing its pace and expanding the coverage, and rope in various stakeholders including NGOs, faith-based organisations, religious leaders, community influencers and other partners towards full Covid vaccination,” Mandaviya said on Monday while chairing a meeting with officials concerned from Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Puducherry which reporting the lowest vaccination.

The Union Minister urged the states to deploy all state government officials, one day each week, to visit each eligible household to motivate and mobilise them towards full vaccination, a statement said. He was addressing the officials digitally. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘mop-up’ strategies for strengthening the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign including deploying ‘Prachar Toli’ in advance to villages which would ensure mobilisation and counselling of the eligible population along with awareness campaigns, followed by the ‘Vaccination Toli’ who would ensure that all eligible citizens are vaccinated with the first and second dose, the statement added. “I have observed during my recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh the use of stickers of ‘fully vaccinated home’. Similar innovative strategies can be used in other states too,” the statement quoted Mandaviya as saying. He further said that states can also make children and students as Covid-19 vaccination ambassadors to urge and motivate the elders and eligible members in their families and communities to take both doses of vaccine. Mandaviya also exhorted the states to prepare detailed district-wise micro plans, deploy adequate numbers of teams and to regularly review the daily progress of the low performing districts. In the meeting, the officials apprised the Minister about the ongoing efforts made by the administration to address issues of hesitancy. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and other senior officials of the Ministry were also present.