Two women vaccinators from Patna among 40 to be feted nationally on int’l women’s day

Two women vaccinators from Patna are among 40 health care workers in India the ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) has shortlisted to be felicitated on March 8, the International Women’s Day, for administering maximum number of Covid-19 vaccine doses to beneficiaries.

Two women vaccinators from Patna are among 40 health care workers in India the ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) has shortlisted to be felicitated on March 8, the International Women’s Day, for administering maximum number of Covid-19 vaccine doses to beneficiaries.

A health worker administers a dose of Covid vaccine in Patna. The health ministry has decided to celebrate the International Women’s Day by felicitating the country’s women vaccinators and recognising their untiring efforts in successful implementation of India’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. (HT Photo)

General nursing midwives (GNMs) Maya Yadav, posted at Patna’s Gurunanak Bhawan vaccination centre, and Vandana Kumari, deputed at the Patliputra Sports Complex, Kankerbagh, have administered 2,73,732 doses and 2,17,400 doses, respectively, said a communique issued by Pramod Kumar, Patna’s district public relations officer on Monday evening.

Yadav is second to E. Tharani, a woman vaccinator of Beemanagar urban primary health centre in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu who had administered 3,02,705 doses to beneficiaries at 372 vaccination session sites.

Yadav took 517 sessions to achieve the landmark while Kumari accomplished her feat in less than half the sessions at 240. Both the vaccination centres, which operate 24x7, are managed by Care India, which provides support to the government of Bihar in implementation of various development programmes.

The health ministry has decided to celebrate the International Women’s Day by felicitating the country’s women vaccinators and recognising their untiring efforts in successful implementation of India’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. The government has shortlisted top two vaccinators from each state and union territories who have recorded the maximum number of vaccines administered and the vaccination sessions attended.

The Patna district administration had introduced three 24x7 vaccination centres — the Gurunanak Bhawan, the Patliputra Sports Complex and the Polytechnic College, Patliputra — between May and June last year to facilitate the vaccination of the service class so that they could take the jab at their convenience either before going to their office or on return.

“Our three 24x7 Covid-19 vaccination centres have contributed to 12.50% (9,66,909 doses) of Patna’s total 77,29,314 vaccine doses administered till Monday. Our team of vaccinators, including the GNMs, has been putting in extra effort to facilitate vaccination of beneficiaries at our centre,” said Mansoon Mohanty, team lead, Patna district resource unit of Care India.

Patna has a first dose vaccination coverage of 84.1% against the state’s 81.1%. It’s second dose coverage is 88.4% against the state’s 86.3% eligible for it. Patna has a target population of 49,17,869 against Bihar’s 8,17,93,000 to be vaccinated against Covid-19.