• Exclusive session for parents of Rotary, Lions Clubs members at Dist. Hospital
• DC Rohini Sindhuri holds video-conferencing with Health Dept. Officers

Mysore/Mysuru: Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to speed up vaccination drive, the Mysuru District Administration has taken several steps including holding exclusive vaccination session for aged parents of members of Social Service Organisations like Rotary and Lions Clubs at the District Hospital on any particular day.

Apart from this, Government vehicles will be provided to take inmates of Homes for the Aged to nearest vaccination booths and drop them back after inoculation.

Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri has given blanket permission for the District Health Department to hire any Government vehicle of any Department to facilitate inmates of these Homes. 

The aged inmates must be dropped to their respective Homes after 30 minutes mandatory observation, she said. 

Already, Taluk Health Officers in H.D. Kote and Periyapatna were hiring autorickshaws to take aged tribals to nearby Taluk Hospital or Primary Health Centres for vaccination and dropping them back to their respects Haadis (Settlements).

Suggestion for providing vehicles to inmates of Old Age Homes was given by Dr. Mohammed Shiraz Ahmed, District Tuberculosis Officer and Nodal Officer of COVID-19 Testing and Preparation of Reports, during video-conferencing with DC Rohini Sindhuri here yesterday.

He told the Deputy Commissioner that there were several Homes for the Aged in the District and many of them don’t own vehicles to take inmates for vaccination. While some Old Age Homes run by Christian Missionaries have vehicles others do not have one. In view of this, the District Administration may direct the Health Department to identify the Homes for Aged in their respective jurisdiction, talk to authorities concerned and arrange for their vaccination by taking them to nearby vaccination site in Government vehicles. This would not only give protection for the aged against the pandemic but would also increase the vaccination coverage. 

The DC was very much delighted about this suggestion and directed all District and Taluk Health Officers to do this on priority.

Rotary, Lions Clubs

Dr. Shiraz Ahmed told SOM that one more suggestion given by him was to contact Social Service Organisations like Rotary and Lions Clubs, Inner Wheel Clubs, Indian Medical Association and such other Associations offering them a day at District Hospital on KRS Road for vaccinating their aged parents. 

Members of those Clubs were free to put up the banner at the vaccination site and click pictures of their parents after inoculation, he said adding that the date and time could be fixed in consultation with Health Officer of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). This would avoid taking aged parents separately for vaccination at different healthcare facilities. Even this suggestion was okayed by the DC, he noted.

Keep CCC ready

In the wake of experts warning of COVID-19 second wave, the meeting decided to keep ready Covid Care Centres (CCC) and also to reserve 10-20 beds in each Taluk Hospitals. It was noted that around 8-10 fresh Corona positive cases were reported from each Taluk  daily which had made the District Administration to take preventive steps. 

Serious cases would be shifted to District Hospital where they have sufficient ICU beds to attend on patients, the DC said and asked Taluk Health Officers to be on high alert and closely watch vaccination and testing in their respective taluks. 

Slap fine, watch crowd at marriages

The DC asked the authorities concerned to slap a fine of Rs.250 on those who fail to wear face mask despite making it mandatory to check the spread of virus. 

The Health Department officers must keep an eye on marriage halls and functions to check crowding of people. Organisers of functions must be clearly told to follow Government guidelines of restricting less than 500 persons.

With regard to RT-PCR testing, the DC was informed that 5,000 testing was done daily in the entire District as per directions from the State Government. Mobile testing teams were sent to various locations daily. Several Nursing Colleges, factories and other educational institutions have requested for sending teams to step-up RT-PCR testing.

Good initiative

“It is a good initiative by District Administration. We have around 100 inmates but only one vehicle. It will be of great help if Government vehicles are provided to take our inmates to nearby vaccination booth and drop them back after inoculation. Since many inmates cannot wait for long hours, it will be helpful if vaccine was administered as early as possible.” — Sister Noela, In-Charge, Little Sisters of the Poor, Gandhinagar, Mysuru