Hyderabad: Three mosques, NGOs to hold vaccination camps

Hyderabad: Three mosques located in Rajendranagar, Hasanagar and Shaheenagar which run primary health care centres (PHCs) in collaboration with NGOs, Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) and SEED from the US, will organise static vaccination camps in collaboration with the State government (PHCs). The vax programme is supported by the Azim Premji Foundation.

Over 100 volunteers, counsellors, vaccinators, data entry operators, supervisors and support staff from the mosques will be part of this six-month-long effort, which was formally launched from Masjid Mohammed Mustafa by Akbaruddin Owaisi, AIMIM MLA from the Chandrayangutta constituency and floor leader in the State Assembly. Addressing the gathering, Owaisi said, "Vaccination is the only way to beat the deadly virus, which continues to spread its tentacles even today. "A well-vaccinated population will reduce the risk of hospitalisation and mortality". he said, while urging the community leaders to encourage people to get vaccinated urgently."

The vax programme will have static camps at the mosques which run health centres. Apart from this, community-level mobile camps will be conducted along with a door-to-door survey in a catchment of over 100 bastis for six months. The survey will enumerate the people who have taken the two doses and those yet to be vaccinated. Accordingly, camps will be organised at various points to facilitate the vaccination. Vaccines will also be given at the doorstep for senior citizens and the disabled. According to a preliminary survey, the vaccination saturation in the minority-dominated areas is relatively low and needs to be ramped up to saturate the entire population. In the last two days over 3,000 households in the catchment area of 20 slums revealed that 55 per cent of adults are yet to get the first jab, and 67 per cent the second dose.

The vaccine and ANMs will be supplied by the PHCs for camps. Giving details of the drive, Mujtaba Hasan Askari of the Helping Hand Foundation said, "community halls and several mosques in the catchment areas will be used for vaccination camps. Also Friday sermons will be used to motivate people who are yet to get vaccinated to come forward and take the jab".