Saturday, 19 June 2021 | PNS | Kotdwar
Due to the digital divide and aspects of the app/site some villagers felt digitally unable and disadvantaged which in turn was delaying their vaccination against Covid-19. However the Pradhan of Daira village has presented an example for many others to tackle the vaccination issues faced by citizens especially in rural mountainous regions.
A small Gram Panchayat in Rudraprayag district, Daira has vaccinated 98 per cent of villagers above the age of 45 years and 50 per cent of adult population of 18 years plus. The Gram Pradhan Yogendra Singh Negi played an active role in getting the villagers registered, also booking the slots of the villagers for vaccination. The two per cent villagers left to get vaccinated above 45 years couldn’t get vaccinated because of their critical health conditions. From the last two months he has booked the slots of more than 400 villagers and helped them get vaccinated.
Negi with help of some young volunteers helped the old and disabled villagers to get vaccinated by taking them to the vaccination centres and bringing them back to their home. At present door to door vaccination is also being done for those who can’t visit the centre. At first the villagers had to travel many miles away to Ukhimath to get vaccinated but then Negi approached the chief medical officer to set a vaccination camp at the village for the people’s convenience and now a vaccination camp is present at the government inter college at Daira for the villagers. The villagers are also provided with snacks and juice at the vaccination camp.
On encountering vaccine hesitancy among villagers Negi said, “To encourage we bust myths and inform the villagers about the people who got inoculated and now are perfectly fit. Vaccination is very important and the only defence against Covid- 19 and I am only doing my duty to help the villagers get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he added.
