CM launches pulse polio drive
More than 1.10 lakh booths set up for the vaccination drive
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath launching pulse polio campaign in the state by administering drops to children during a programme organised at the Veerangana Avantibai Women’s Hospital in Lucknow on Sunday. Around 3.40 crore children in age group 0-5 years would be administered the vaccine in all 75 districts of UP, said the CM.
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched an intensive pulse polio campaign in the state by administering drops to children during a programme organised at the Veerangana Avantibai Women’s Hospital here on Sunday.
More than 1.10 lakh booths had been set up for the vaccination drive while around 3.40 crore children in age group 0-5 years would be administered the vaccine as part of the campaign in all 75 districts of UP, said the CM.
In Lucknow, 2,31,285 children were administered polio drops.
“A slight carelessness towards polio can make the children handicapped. From the second day to the sixth day of the campaign, about 69,000 teams will make house-to-house visits to vaccinate children who were unable to take the polio dose on the first day,” he said.
Yogi said all children up to the age of five years, including newborns, should be taken to the booth for administration of polio dose, to keep the country and the state polio free.
Yogi said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had given India the status of polio free country on March 27, 2014. Today, three countries of the world - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are polio infected.
“Even after India was declared polio-free, it remained vulnerable to the infection from polioinfected countries. Effective implementation of intensive pulse polio immunisation campaign is necessary across the state,” he emphasised.
Yogi said the medical team of the state worked with full dedication and enthusiasm, as a result of which the spread of Covid infection was checked.
“Delhi, with a population of 1.75 crore, recorded 10,500 deaths from Covid while UP, a state of 24 crore, saw 8,500 deaths. This was a result of teamwork by all here (UP),” said the CM.
“Effective measures were taken to improve health facilities under the leadership of Prime Minister. Two Covid vaccines have been made in the country. The PM works with the spirit of ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’, ensuring supply of Covid vaccine to other countries,” added Yogi.
Post-independence till 2016, there were 12 medical colleges in the state whereas in the last four years, the BJP worked to set up 31 new medical colleges.
Besides, the district hospitals were expanded and availability of ALS ambulance was ensured in all the 75 districts, he said.
“When the first case of Covid was detected in the state, there was no laboratory test facility. Now, 1.75 lakh sample tests are being conducted every day. The availability of ventilalors has also been ensured in all the districts,” said the CM.
“The government of India had informed us that 36 districts had no ventilators and today at least 10 ventilators are there in each district. Besides, the staff is trained to run them,” he added.
Law minister Brijesh Pathak said polio was a curse for the world.
“The Covid pandemic has been managed in the state under the leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and international agencies have lauded the efforts of Uttar Pradesh in curbing Covid cases,” he said.