The State Task Force (STF) meeting for Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI 5.0) and MR Elimination was held under the Chairmanship of Additional Secretary H&W, S Tainiu, at IDSP Hall, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare on 28th July 2023.
During his keynote address, Mission Director, NHM, Dr. Ritu Thurr, highlighted that the universal immunization program in India is one of the largest public health interventions worldwide. The program targets a massive number of beneficiaries and involves vaccine production and distribution. Dr. Thurr emphasized that around 30 crore pregnant women and 27 thousand newborn children are estimated to be immunized with TT injections and antigens annually. India stands as a leading vaccine producer globally, with 13 vaccine-preventable diseases and 12 antigens being freely supplied to beneficiaries by the government.
Dr. Thurr also brought attention to the success of the U-Win pilot project in two districts, Peren and Dimapur, which facilitated the real-time tracing of beneficiaries' names and identified partially vaccinated defaulters through a portal.
He mentioned that Nagaland is the first state in the country to carry out state-level training at the block and district levels. IMI 5.0 is scheduled to roll out across the state on 7th August 2023, with a special immunization drive targeting partially vaccinated or drop-out individuals. Dr. Thurr acknowledged the challenges faced during project implementation but expressed hope that overall performance and immunization coverage would improve across the state. He also urged for technical and physical support from allied departments to achieve the desired goals.
During the group discussion, officials from allied departments such as RD, School Education, and School Welfare highlighted the challenges and issues faced during project implementation. The participants also emphasized the importance of creating awareness about the program in all districts to ensure its success across the state.
The meeting featured PowerPoint presentations by various specialists, including SPO (WHO) Dr. Sheila Longkumer on IMI 5.0/ MR Elimination, SPO (UNDP) Kingston Karmakar on U-WIN Scaling up, SPO (UNICEF) Dr. Pangjung SBCC Consultant on Communication & Mobilisation, and SPO Dr. Khelito Zhimomi (RCH) on the RCH program.
(Esuihangle IA)
