Patrapur: Women health workers have to risk their lives by climbing hills and wading through a river to participate in the Centre-sponsored Mission Indradhanush, an immunisation programme, in this block of Ganjam district a report said.
In one such instance, health worker Babuni Nayak and ASHA (accredited social health activist) Pramila Sahu had to wade through knee deep water of river Bagi Tuesday to participate in the programme conducted by Patrapur community health centre (CHC) in various tribal dominated regions of the block.
The programme has been taken up by the CHC for the last few days and as part of it, health workers have to visit their respective camp sites and vaccinate children and pregnant women.
However, Babuni and Pramila had to undergo untold sufferings to reaching their camp sites and return back home. The duo had to cross the river to reach Jiranga village and return home again wading through the river.
A majority of the sites being inaccessible, health workers have to even climb hills at some places, the report said.
According to locals, the river separates the tribal regions of the block from the rest. Absence of a bridge across the river has added to the commuting woes of the tribal inhabitants.
The tribals alleged the administration is not doing its bit in constructing a bridge across the river though they had taken up the matter with the administration and the block development officer many times in the past.
A health worker, on condition of anonymity, said they had to join the camp as it was a matter of livelihood for them but they didn’t know whether they will safely return home in the evening.
Mission Indradhanush is a Centre-sponsored programme aimed at ensuring full immunisation of children below two years of age and pregnant women with all available vaccines. PNN
