District administration sets September 10 target for faster HPV vaccination and wider Ayushman card coverage; special drives to be conducted across schools, villages and hospitals
KURUKSHETRA | PEN OF DEMOCRACY NEWS DESK
Deputy Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena has directed officials to accelerate the HPV vaccination campaign across the district and ensure that maximum eligible beneficiaries are covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He made it clear that any negligence in achieving the campaign targets would not be tolerated.
The Deputy Commissioner was addressing a meeting of the District Task Force organised by the Health Department at the conference hall of the local Mini Secretariat to review the ongoing HPV vaccination campaign and the progress of Ayushman card generation. During the meeting, he reviewed the progress of both initiatives and issued directions to the concerned departments to intensify their efforts.
DC Vishram Kumar Meena said that the HPV vaccination drive must be accelerated and every effort should be made to vaccinate eligible girls by September 10. He directed officials to ensure close coordination between the Health and Education Departments so that eligible students do not remain outside the vaccination programme.
The Deputy Commissioner specifically instructed the District Education Officer to hold meetings with principals of schools in villages including Dhurala, Kirmach and Kalsana and other concerned areas. He said school authorities should actively cooperate with health teams and ensure that eligible girls are made aware of the importance of HPV vaccination and are covered under the campaign.
He stressed that schools have an important role in ensuring effective implementation of the vaccination drive. Principals and teachers should coordinate with health officials, communicate with parents where required and facilitate vaccination among eligible students.
DC Meena also directed the District Development and Panchayat Officer to launch awareness campaigns in all villages regarding HPV vaccination as well as Ayushman cards. He instructed the department to involve village-level representatives in the campaign and ensure that all sarpanches are informed about the initiatives.
The sarpanches were asked to make announcements in their respective villages so that residents are made aware of the availability and importance of the vaccination and health-card facilities. The administration aims to use the village-level network to reach families who may otherwise remain unaware of government health initiatives.
Reviewing the progress of Ayushman Bharat, DC Vishram Kumar Meena said that 6,05,930 Ayushman cards have already been generated in the district. However, he directed officials to further increase the number and ensure that eligible families are not left out.
He ordered that special campaigns should be conducted at all 39 private and 24 government hospitals in the district for generating Ayushman cards. The administration will also sensitise operators of all Common Service Centres (CSCs) so that eligible residents can be assisted in obtaining their cards.
The Deputy Commissioner emphasised that wider coverage of Ayushman cards would enable eligible families to access healthcare benefits under the scheme. He directed officials to adopt a proactive approach instead of waiting for beneficiaries to approach government offices on their own.
During the meeting, District Immunisation Officer Dr. Shailja informed the Deputy Commissioner that 3,911 HPV vaccine doses had already been administered as part of the ongoing campaign. She said the vaccination programme was continuing across the district.
According to the information shared during the meeting, the HPV vaccination campaign is being conducted for girls in the 14-to-15-year age group. Health officials are coordinating with educational institutions and other stakeholders to identify eligible beneficiaries and facilitate vaccination.
Dr. Shailja said that continued awareness among students, parents and school authorities would be important for achieving the campaign objectives. The administration has therefore directed the Education Department and village-level machinery to support the Health Department in reaching eligible beneficiaries.
The meeting also reviewed the recent progress in Ayushman card generation. District Nodal Officer for Ayushman Bharat and Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr. Ramesh Sabharwal informed the meeting that 2,700 new Ayushman cards had been generated during the previous month.
He further informed that 147 camps had been organised during the month to facilitate the registration and generation of Ayushman cards. The administration plans to continue such camps and expand the outreach so that more eligible residents can benefit from the scheme.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the concerned officials to maintain coordination among departments and intensify awareness activities at the grassroots level. He said that the success of both campaigns would depend on effective implementation, public awareness and regular monitoring.
The administration is focusing on schools for the HPV vaccination drive and on villages, hospitals and CSC centres for wider Ayushman card coverage. The coordinated approach is intended to ensure that health-related government initiatives reach the maximum number of eligible beneficiaries.
DC Vishram Kumar Meena reiterated that officials must work with a sense of responsibility and urgency to achieve the targets within the stipulated timeframe. He also directed the concerned officers to continuously monitor progress and take corrective measures wherever the pace of implementation is found to be slow.
The meeting was attended by Civil Surgeon Dr. Vimal, District Education Officer Vinod Kaushik, District Malaria Officer Dr. Pradeep Kumar, along with other officers and officials of the concerned departments.
The Deputy Commissioner’s directions underline the district administration’s focus on strengthening preventive healthcare, increasing awareness among eligible families and ensuring wider access to government healthcare benefits through HPV vaccination and Ayushman cards.
