Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation has achieved 98 per cent of immunization under Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0 programme initiated by the Government of India. It was recently conducted in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Bhiwandi, Mira Bhayander, Navi Mumbai, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Buldana, Jalgaon, Parbhani, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ulhasnagar areas.
“We could achieve 98 per cent immunization due to consistent efforts even during the Covid time. When physical distancing was absolutely necessary, we ensure to carry the immunization drive through mobile vans. The area has a vast floating population, migration is more in a few areas, and there are brick kiln workers. But we targeted every area by conducting additional rounds of immunization to achieve the maximum,” Dr Ganesh Doiphode, from Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation said.
In the suburban Thane district, densely populated Mumbra was the focus area for vaccination. In Bhiwandi, night sessions were conducted so that working parents could bring their children for vaccination.
In Pune district’s Pimpri-Chinchwad area is an industrial belt having a huge population of migrant workers. The medical staff went door-to-door to identify the eligible children and pregnant women.
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of India, intensified its immunization programme under IMI 4.0 to achieve full immunization coverage for all children and pregnant women at a rapid pace. Three rounds on IMI are conducted on March 7, April 3 and May 2. UNICEF is partnering with the Government of India to support the continuity of essential health and immunization services through the planning, implementation, and monitoring of various strategies.
The target beneficiaries for the mission are unvaccinated/partially vaccinated pregnant women and children up to 2 years of age (0 – 23 months). In the round, the medical staff is targeting migrant workers, daily wage workers, and brick kiln staff in every district to achieve the maximum target.
