Rajasthan: Roping in locals for vaccination drive helps Pratapgarh win top slot

JAIPUR: Pratapgarh has become the first district in the state to vaccinate 100% of 18+ population with second dose against Covid. What worked in its favour was the district's strategy of involving locals in vaccinating people.
Camps were organised in villages and public representatives like sarpanchs, local NGOs, social activists and religious leaders helped in creating awareness about vaccination.Drive to bring vaccination at door steps also helped. It becomes the first district in the state to achieve the feat. Recruitment of Covid health assistants also helped the health department in scaling up the vaccination drive in the district. "We recruited 451 Covid health assistants for 235 gram panchayats.
While recruiting them we ensured that they should belong to the area where he/she has to work so that the worker by using local connections will be able to encourage people to get vaccinated. We also took help of public representatives and ensured that vaccination should be done in each village. We also saw to it that not a single house be left out. We planned micro-level strategy for scaling up the vaccination drive," said Dr Vishnu Dayal Meena, chief medical health officer (Pratapgarh).
He said that majority of population in Pratapgarh district consists of tribals and some areas are difficult to reach. "Despite adversities we achieved 100% 18+ population's first and second dose vaccination," he said. The district has the target of vaccination 6,52,061 people who are 18+. Pratapgarh was the first district to achieve the first dose vaccination in the state, while it stood first in vaccinating 18+ with first and second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.