Health officials call for rights panel's help

KOZHIKODE: Unable to overcome the stiff resistance to government immunisation progammes in Malappuram district, health officials had sought the intervention of the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR).

“We had asked the Directorate of health services (DHS) to approach the SCPCR on the burning issue as we could not directly go to the Commission. The denial of immunization to children is primarily a child rights’ issue and needs to be addressed on that platform,” said Malappuram Deputy District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr R. Renuka.

The same demand has been forwarded to the Chief Secretary also. Malappuram has registered the lowest rate in immunization in the state, 62 per cent, and this is the main reason why Kerala has slid from 90 per cent to 82 per cent on the national scene for the levels of immunization by states.

The move to approach the SCPCR was a result of the health authorities’ determined stand to take on false propagandists. In January, a campaign called ‘Mission Mukti’ was jointly launched by the Health Department and the district administration in selected gram panchayats where resistance was severe.

As many as nine medical teams directly visited each household in the area and convinced the family about the need to get immunized. Valavannur has the largest concentration of unimmunized children in the district.

“97 children under 5 and 124 children under16 were given immunization during the campaign. The mission will be expanded to Porur, Nannambra areas in the coming days,” added Deputy DMO. Further, the health authorities had collected audio tapes of the anti-immunization propagandists and handed them over to the district collector urging him to conduct a cyber cell inquiry.