Health Services in Latehar are facing hiccups. It is because of the AVD (Alternate Vaccine Delivery) system. It is in disorder.
Civil surgeon Latehar Dr Haren Chandra Mahto said the AVD providers have not been paid their honorarium for months as a result many of them have disengaged themselves from reaching the vaccine carriers at the vaccination session sites specially at the remote and far-flung areas.
Dr Mahto said the smooth conduct of the immunisation is when AVD providers reach the vaccine carriers in time at the vaccination sites enabling ANMs there to get on to their job of giving jabs.
The AVD providers are contractual ones and hence have no problem remaining in or out of the system.
Latehar has two medical oxygen plants one at Matanchotaag and the other at the sadar hospital which are tested every 15 or 20th day of the month.
Dr Mahto said we do mock drills for the medical oxygen plants.
Another medical oxygen plant coming up under the Balumath block courtesy Tata concern will be taking more days to become functional, said the civil surgeon Latehar.
Civil surgeon Latehar conceded that our percentage of the precaution dose for 60 plus stands at the same 2 percent since many months. He said similarly the second dose vaccination of 12 plus needs to be improved which is not taking place.
About near expiry of doses of the vaccine Dr Mahto said he has been reminding his medical officers in charge of the community health centres to pay extra amount of attention to ensure that no single dose of the vaccine gets wasted all for its going expired before its any utilisation.