Thane Municipal Corporation reaches out to labourers and slum dwellers to get jabbed
TMC’s door-to-door vaccination drive has been a boon for elderly people and labourers in several pockets of the city
The Thane Municipal Corporation’s door-to-door vaccination drive has been a boon for elderly people and labourers in several pockets of the city. TMC has now initiated various such outreach programmes, to cater to labourers waiting at various junctions in the city looking for work and also for those staying in slums or remote parts of the city. Dr Prasad Patil, Immunization officer, TMC, said, “As part of our outreach programme, we have reached out to private office spaces, residential societies, construction sites, slum areas and conducted special vaccination drives.” However, doctors suggest that such initiatives should have started earlier to achieve full first dose of vaccination. TMC medical officer said,”Providing vaccination to such reluctant or hesitant populations at the eleventh hour may not suffice.”
For 69-year-old Bhagwan Kheratkar, resident of Namdeowadi in Panchpakhadi, it was only this week that he got his first dose of vaccination. Going to get vaccinated without support was a task as he lost part of his right hand and left leg in an accident. His family was also unaware about the door-to-door vaccination and hence despite his wife and two daughters being fully vaccinated Kheratkar was yet to get his first dose.
It was only after a vaccination camp that was set up near his home, that the Kheratkar family availed the door-to-door vaccination facility. “People from the TMC had come to inquire if there are any who are still unvaccinated, they said that the nurse would come and provide vaccination. They also got me registered on the Cowin app and by evening I had the certificate for the first dose with me. As I am under a lot of medications due to my condition my family was skeptical about the effects of vaccination on me. Moreover, I do not go out anywhere so I felt it to be alright to delay vaccination,” said Kheratkar.